Hi folks,

I'm going to be running the Rome Marathon on 17th March and am hoping to raise money for the innocent civilians effected by the ongoing collective punishment within the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

You don't need to be a geopolitical expert on the origins of the conflict, the 1948 Nakba, or the illegal settlements in the West Bank to realise that over 30,000 deaths since October, in a region where half the population are children, is shocking, inhumane, and in itself a war crime.

70% of homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, with women unable to maintain basic hygiene and children dying of malnutrition. Without urgent intervention famine is inevitable.

The UK government's response has included continuing to sell arms to Israel, defunding vital aid agencies, and abstaining on multiple UN ceasefire votes- essentially making it complicit in the ongoing genocide.

I feel it is of paramount importance for those of us who are fortunate enough to have never been victims of an apartheid regime to help those who are- especially when our supposed leaders aren't.

Please consider donating if you can, and share regardless.

Thank you.

References

Al Jazeera. (2023). Child casualties in Gaza a ‘stain on our conscience’: UNICEF. [Online]. Al Jazeera. Last Updated: 25 October 2023. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/25/over-2000-children-killed-in-gaza-a-stain-on-our-collectiv [Accessed 5 March 2024].

Batrawy, A. (2024). Gaza's death toll now exceeds 30,000. Here's why it's an incomplete count. [Online]. npr. Last Updated: 29 February 2024. Available at: https://www.npr.org/2024/02/29/1234159514/gaza-death-toll-30000-palestinians-israel-hamas-war [Accessed 5 March 2024].

Amnesty International. (2022). Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians: a cruel system of domination and a crime against humanity. [Online]. Amnesty. Last Updated: 1 February 2022. Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/02/israels-apartheid-against-palestinians-a-cruel-system [Accessed 5 March 2024].

Malsin, J. Shah, S. (2023). The Ruined Landscape of Gaza After Nearly Three Months of Bombing. [Online]. The Wall Street Journal. Last Updated: 30 December 2023. Available at: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/gaza-destruction-bombing-israel-aa528542 [Accessed 5 March 2024].

Regan, H. (2024). Children starve to death in Gaza, WHO says, as ceasefire deal sticking points remain. [Online]. CNN. Last Updated: 4 March 2024. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/04/middleeast/gaza-children-dying-malnutrition-israel-ceasefire-talk [Accessed 5 March 2024].

ActionAid. (2024). Women in Gaza resort to using scraps of tent in place of period products and go weeks without showering amid dire humanitarian conditions. [Online]. ActionAid. Last Updated: 18 January 2024. Available at: https://actionaid.org/news/2024/women-gaza-resort-using-scraps-tent-place-period-products-and-go-wee [Accessed 5 March 2024].

Ahmed, Y. (2023). Selling Weapons to Israel Could Make UK Complicit in War Crimes. [Online]. Human Rights Watch. Last Updated: 12 December 2023. Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/12/selling-weapons-israel-could-make-uk-complicit-war-crimes#:~:tex [Accessed 5 March 2024].

Channel 4 News. (2024). Israel’s evidence of UNRWA Hamas allegations examined. [Online]. YouTube. Last Updated: 5 February 2024. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqG2yeF_4sg [Accessed 5 March 2024].

Save the Children. (2024). NO RESPITE FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN GAZA AS UN SECURITY COUNCIL CEASEFIRE RESOLUTION FAILS TO PASS. [Online]. Save the Children. Last Updated: 20 February 2024. Available at: https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/news/media-centre/press-releases/unsc-ceasefire-resolution-fails- [Accessed 5 March 2024].

**All views are my own and not those of my employer or university**