Our loved ones in Gaza are not numbers

Two Atlanta-area Palestinian Americans share their stories about the war in Gaza.

I am a second-generation Palestinian American who calls Georgia home. My wife and I moved here in 2013, and all three of our children were born here. I was proud to move to Atlanta and be a part of a community that became the cultural catalyst for the Civil Rights movement. I often wonder about the stance the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. would have taken on Gaza were he alive. King’s daughter Bernice King recently posted on the social media site X that, though her father strongly condemned antisemitism, “I am certain he would call for Israel’s bombing of Palestinians to cease, for hostages to be released and for us to work for true peace, which includes justice.”

My father moved to California from Gaza in 1966 to follow the American Dream. He opened a burger place in San Francisco that went on to become a landmark. His father owned a restaurant in Gaza that was destroyed in the recent attacks. Our family has deep roots in Gaza. Sai’id Shawa was the first mayor of Gaza, serving from 1906 to 1917. Since then, four other El Shawa family members have served as Gaza mayors. The El Shawa family has also produced world-renowned artists, founders of corporations and banks, engineers, lawyers, doctors, teachers, and mothers and fathers.

I am heartbroken to see what is unfolding in the place where I spent my summers as a child. I remember playing on the sprawling Mediterranean beaches with my family. I would fly kites and build sandcastles. I dreamed of one day taking my children to experience the same joy and happiness.

In six months, that dream has been erased. The impact of the Israeli attacks extends beyond the loss of more than 100 of my relatives. Israel has erased the history not just of my family but also of an entire people. My family in Gaza has lost everything, from loved ones to homes to priceless memories. More than 34,000 Palestinians, including more than 13,000 children, have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7. One of our most recent losses was baby Mira El Shawa. Mira was just two weeks old. She was not killed by a bomb but by malnutrition caused by Israel’s blockade of food, water, fuel and medicine.

Devastation is not only limited to loss of human life. Gaza students have not attended schools and universities in six months and are unlikely to return anytime soon. All of Gaza’s universities have been destroyed, and almost 90% of school buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Prior to the attacks, 503,500 children attended these schools where 18,900 teachers taught. Only 11 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functioning. Children are undergoing leg amputations without anesthesia.

King said, “It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.” I ask you to be in favor of justice for all people, including the people of Gaza.

Hani El Shawa