Refaat Alareer seemed resigned to his fate when he wrote “If I Must Die,” the last poem he would publish, on Nov. 1.
“If I must die / you must live / to tell my story,” the first lines read.
The renowned Palestinian professor, activist and poet was killed along with his family just a month later in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza.
Alareer was one of more than 22,000 Palestinians who have been killed by Israeli forces since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, when militants killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages. The violence toward both civilians and combatants rages on, with far more dire repercussions for the Palestinians.
Those who remain in Gaza face agonizing existences. The Israeli government has blocked resources entering the region, resulting in starvation. They’ve also imposed communications blackouts and forcibly displaced 90% of Palestinians from their homes. Horrifying evidence of war crimes has emerged in recent months. Journalists and storytellers on the ground in Gaza, such as Bisan Owda and Motaz Azaiza, have been using social media to document these atrocities for the world to see.
As news spreads, allies outside the Palestinian territories have been expressing their solidarity as well. “For Refaat, we must be louder than ever and make sure the focus returns to what is actually happening in real time to those on the ground,” Canadian poet Rupi Kaur wrote in a tribute to Alareer on Instagram. “Because theirs are the lives we can still save.”
Kaur, whose family is from the Punjab state of India, is one of several South Asian artists using their platforms to raise awareness. Other South Asians, including poets, writers, comedians and painters, have called for a permanent end to the violence, setting up fundraisers toward humanitarian efforts and more.
Their voices and work are more important than ever, especially in encouraging others in the community to speak up, since many remain hesitant to “choose a side.” There…
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