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The morning message sent on Wednesday went unanswered. “Good day, Refaat, I just wanted to check how you and your family are doing…” Several acquaintances reported on Thursday through social media about the death of Professor and writer Refaat Alareer, 44 years old and father of six children, in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. A close friend confirmed to EL PAÍS that the attack took place on Wednesday at the residence where he sought refuge, and that along with him, a brother, a sister, and four of their children lost their lives. According to local authorities, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 17,000. The wife and children of Alareer are safe, the same source added. <br>
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On Monday, just two days prior to his untimely demise, the professor himself notified others that he was relocating amidst the relentless bombardments in the Shujayia neighborhood. He expressed concern for his children and other relatives who remained trapped in the area. This information was shared on his X profile (previously known as Twitter). Alareer, in a heartfelt statement, drew a chilling comparison between the level of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip and that of the Second World War. At that time, he stated that Gaza had transformed from a concentration camp into an extermination camp. Due to communication difficulties within the enclave, questions were answered through voice notes, with the unsettling backdrop of Israeli bombs and drones. <br>
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In those messages from a month ago, this Literature professor from the Islamic University of Gaza, one of the many targeted institutions, warned about the severity of using “hunger as a weapon of war,” which is one of the main challenges faced by the Strip as it enters its third month of conflict following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th, which, according to Israel, resulted in 1,200 deaths. This is how he expressed it: “The Palestinians in Gaza are starving. We barely have any food or water because Israel has blocked everything. (…) It is a systematic extermination, an ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza. This is the continuation of,” he pointed out, referring to the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948. <br>
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The demise of Alareer also marks the end of his social media presence and involvement in various media outlets. If you have any sort of questions concerning where and ways to utilize online gaming sites, you could contact us at the web-site. On the very day of October 7th, referring to it as a “legitimate” act of resistance, something that has drawn criticism in Israeli press, which has also reported on his death. His stance, not without controversy and skirmishes on social media, is purportedly what led Israel to carry out a “deliberate” attack against him, according to the friend who confirmed his death. Western and Arab countries “desire to silence the Palestinians, to cease their requests and fight for freedom,” stated the writer during the interview. <br>
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Alareer portrayed surviving under the bombs that ultimately cost him his life as an everyday struggle for the most fundamental necessities. “We have a few cans left that can probably last us a week. We are consuming less than a quarter of what we used to. I haven’t showered in 10 days to conserve water,” he detailed. “Against all odds of survival. Bombing bakeries and ambulances, killing UN officials, targeting schools, universities, hospitals, roads, power lines, water pipes…” <br>
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Abandoning the role of editor, Alareer took charge of the publication a decade ago of the book “Tales from Young Writers of Gaza,” which features fifteen stories connected to Israel’s military operation in the Strip in 2008, known as [Operation Name]. He was also among the founders of the platform “We are not numbers,” which gives names to the victims that statistics portray. <br>
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At times, his voice faltered, revealing the incessant background hum of the drones hovering over the dwelling, which he described as a relentless psychological pounding. “The children are the ones who suffer the most. The screams and the crying… I want to spend all my time crying. I am a father. I am a teacher. I have 200 students I care about. I try to protect them, to provide them with everything they need. And I cannot protect these people. I am desperate. I have lost my sense of parenthood because I cannot even protect myself, how can I protect my children? Where are we supposed to go?” he rhetorically wondered, well aware that there was no answer. <br>
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Israeli officials have made promises to obliterate Gaza, transforming it into a parking lot, a tent city, pushing Palestinians into the sea or the Sinai desert,” remarked Alareer, alluding to the notion entertained by certain Israeli authorities. Alareer’s impression was that the Israeli army entered Gaza with more than just the aim of eliminating Hamas: “It’s systematic. 90% of individuals have been killed in their homes while they slept, hosting others. Israel is pushing people to other areas outside of their homes, urging them to take refuge in schools. And then, Israel bombs the schools, compelling them to seek shelter in hospitals, and Israel bombs the hospitals.” <br>
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“This is unprecedented,” he insisted, emphasizing the Palestinians’ loneliness and abandonment before “the entire world,” with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany supporting Israel. “This is not a war. This is extermination. It must be called genocide, a perfect textbook example of genocide,” he asserted. According to Gazan authorities, over 17,000 people have already died in Gaza. <br>
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Professor Refaat Alareer, among the reporters who have been banned by Israel from accessing Gaza, agreed to answer questions through voice notes after several unsuccessful attempts at a phone conversation. <br>
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I am currently seeking refuge with my family and a few relatives. Over the past month, we have been forced to relocate to various areas. Our house, where we were hosting some relatives, was bombed by Israel two weeks ago. There were about 30 of us, with 25 being children and women. We had to flee first to a school and then to other places, Alareer recounted, noting that not everyone in the neighborhood was as fortunate. “A mother and her two daughters were preparing lunch when the missile struck the kitchen and killed them.” <br>
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There are only a couple of instances where he deviated from his feeling of “desperation”. “As a English person, it would be good to tell people that I am a Barça fan. Visca Barça! Football is my passion. (…) I closely follow the English League. Every now and then, I even keep an eye on the notifications during bombings and follow the results,” he said. Afterwards, he expressed gratitude to those who dared to defend the Palestinians on the international stage, going against the current, such as those members of the English government “that I can’t recall now,” he pointed out, seemingly referring to the then ministers Ione Belarra and Irene Montero. Moments later, another loud noise ended his responses with “here we have another bombing in the background.” <br>
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In his latest message on his X profile, published on Monday, two days prior to his death, he reiterated the idea that the United States, the Democratic Party, and President Joe Biden are accomplices in the “genocide that Israel perpetrates in Gaza,” a notion he repeated several times in the interview. Above that post, like a dark premonition, one of his poems remains fixed, published on November 1st. It is titled “If I Have to Die.” <br>
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