the children are always ours,
every single one of them
The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognising this may be incapable of morality.
—James Baldwin
Good morning friends,
No essay from me this week. Instead, a reminder of the extraordinary numbers of children who have already been killed as a result of the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza. As of the 24th October, Unicef reported that there had been 2,360 child fatalities in Gaza, in addition to 30 Israeli deaths.
Yesterday, this number included the children of Wael Al-Dadouh, a Palestinian journalist and bureau chief of Al-Jazeera in Gaza City. His two children, a grandchild, and his wife were killed in an airstrike that targeted the Nuseirat refugee camp. Al-Dadouh received the news of the strike whilst he was reporting on air. Later, kneeling over the body of his injured son, Wael reportedly said that ‘they’re taking revenge by killing our children.’
I will probably cook some tagliatelle for my daughter tonight, as it’s the only food she eats. We’ll both sit down at our dinner table and, to varying degrees, enjoy the meal that I’ve prepared. This evening we will also light a candle, and spend time thinking about the ongoing bombardment of Gaza’s children and those children murdered or taken hostage by Hamas.
I’m inviting other parents and families to do the same. To light a candle during one of your meal times, in an expression of solidarity with those children and parents who find themselves living in an unimaginable state of terror. I will use the hashtag #parentsforpeace to share this act on my social media accounts.
This is one small way in which we can recognise our shared responsibility for the lives of all children, no matter where they live. As Baldwin rightly says, ‘the children are always ours, every single one.’
Thank you,
Grace
Recent writing from The Murmuration
