The Disaster of Palestine

When I think about the phrase “My Home Country", I imagine it a green country which is full of trees and it has clear skies. My imagination would draw a country that has freedom, safety, and above all simple people living a peaceful life. In fact, this is not the case in my home country Palestine; everything has been changed and became a disaster.

Palestinian people are living under difficult situations, and one of which is the war. They are suffering under occupation from years ago, and this is completely a catastrophe for Palestine.

So what do we mean by a disaster?

And what kind of disasters that Palestinian people are facing and how this disaster is impacting their lives?

First of all, what does disaster mean? Simple definition, disaster means destroying something. It might be flood or earthquake. In Palestine, there is another kind of disasters which is the war. The disaster that happens in Palestine was not for one day or month but for years. The last three wars (2008-2012-2014) and particularly 2014 war in Gaza strip continued for more than a month.

I called it Gaza’s disaster because of the huge numbers that has been killed in that war. There are many people killed, homes, hospitals, mosques and villages were completely destroyed.

In addition, many place in Gaza strip became empty land exactly like a desert… no trees, no buildings, and even no people! The war caused a big disaster for Palestinian people.

Today, Palestine is suffering from some effects because of Israeli occupation. There are four effects because of the war disaster in Palestine.

The environment challenges, Risk of migration, low level of education, and disaster psychology. In 2014 war, Gaza faced disaster psychology such as, physical disabilities because of the war.

First effect is environmental damages in Palestine. The environment is important for every country, and it is an essential factor for development of the future of a country. But, unfortunately Palestine has lost the good environment for the development of it state, because of this war and occupation.

In 1948, when Israel occupied Palestine, they started controlling the groundwater and freshwater. Palestine has suffered from water shortages because of Israel captured huge water resources. Palestinian territories became a dry, desert and it is difficult to live in.

“Some settlements consume around 400 l/c/d, whereas Palestinian consumption is 73 l/c/d, and as little as 10-20 l/c/d for Bedouin communities which depend on expensive and low quality tanker water”. Palestinian people were suffering from water shortages.

In 2014, Gaza City was completely destroyed and became a Massacre. Around 2,200 people dead, they were civilians, which most of them were children and women and also more than 20,000 homes were destroyed. The infrastructure destroyed such as, networks of Electricity and Water.

In short, the killing and destroying in Palestine means environmental disaster. Death and murder cased an environmental disaster which led to shortage of manpower. Also, there will be no manpower to develop and rebuilding it again. Environmental damages will be disaster for future Palestine, and especially in terms of development.

The immigration is a huge calamity that happens in Palestine. Today, in 2014 there are many Palestinian people migrated from Gaza strip to other countries. They lost their homes and jobs, and then they decided that there is no life in Gaza. Around 500 Palestinians from Gaza immigrated to different countries, but the worst disaster was the sinking of ships that carried many Palestinians.

According to Al Jazeera news, around 350 immigrated were died and still the numbers increasing because of sink ships. The immigration is a disaster, it should solve. Palestinian people immigrated because they lost everything had have from jobs, homes and even their children.

Developing of education in Palestine is a continuing challenge. Palestine is facing lack of education, because it is not yet an independent country. However, there is a risk that the conflict will also lead to the complete destruction of educational development work in Palestine.

Today, the education in Palestine became worse than before because of the war between Israeli and Palestine. As a result for that, more than 30 schools had been destroyed in 2014.

Ziyad Thabet, Gaza’s deputy education minister, said "government schools suffered $13 million in damage to buildings and $6 million to furniture". Most of the schools were used as shelters for those who lost their homes during and after the war.

Decreasing of education is continuing for the worst, and this is totally disaster for the improvement of Palestine.

In 2014 war, Gaza faced a disaster psychology until now. The fifteen day's war in Gaza brings problems psychology. Around 60% of Palestinian people are suffering from severe psychological trauma. The killing, destroying villages and assassinations was not easy for Palestinian people, and they are still remembering the painful events that happened during the war.

"1.8 million Gazans live in a state of permanent anxiety as families are unable to find refuge from airstrikes, drones, and naval bombings in the densely populated enclave".

In addition, The spread of disease in Palestine because of the poison gas that Israel fired in the air led to the suffocation and death of large numbers. Disaster psychology that Palestinian people are facing it now; it is need long time to get rid of these problems psychology.

In short, the disaster of Palestine was catastrophe war. Palestine is still facing some impacts because of the war. The environment challenges, risk of migration, low level of education, and disaster psychology were a big disaster for Palestine. These effects have made more difficult life than it is before.

Every family in Gaza have a painful tale because they live in life of trapping such as, difficulty of traveling, trade and limited fishing because Gaza blockade.