(FYI: CNN, May 28: Former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert told CNN that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza, clarifying that he holds PM Netanyahu and his government responsible, and that the war must come to an end)
My Dear Readers:
An extraordinary short documentary, Severed: The Story of a Boy From Gaza, is premiering on The Nation Magazine's website this week for free.
Summary: "Severed tells the story of Mohamad Saleh, an 18-year-old from Gaza who has lived through five major assaults on the Gaza Strip. In those attacks, he lost his home, family members, his best friends, and, at the age of 12, his leg. Now living in exile in Egypt, Mohamad struggles to piece together the shattered fragments of his life. Through his eyes, we see the pain and trauma endured by thousands in Gaza, alongside their remarkable strength, resilience, and determination to live."
And the latest pieces of news about Israel's genocidal war on Gaza:
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, "Israel's oldest daily now sanctioned by the Israeli government, Haaretz," May 27, 2025: Enough Is Enough. Israel Is Committing War Crimes
Recent operations in the Gaza Strip have nothing to do with legitimate war goals. This is now a private political war... The criminal gang headed by Benjamin Netanyahu has set a precedent without equal in Israel's history
Haaretz, Editorial, May 28: At This Year's Festivities, Jerusalem Day Normalized Calls for Genocide
The new hit that dominated the annual Flag March on Jerusalem Day this year, alongside classics like "May their village burn," "Mohammed is dead" and "Death to Arabs," was "There is no school in Gaza, there are no children left."
And Haaretz, May 28: Yes to Transfer: 82% of Jewish Israelis Back Expelling Gazans
Twenty years ago, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, the spiritual father of the 'hilltop youth,' sketched out his vision for destroying Israel's democratic institutions and establishing Jewish supremacy. After October 7, it seems that his vision is coming to fruition
To conclude today's post, I would like to share with you my reflection on this documentary, Severed: The Story of a Boy From Gaza:
Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CXC: "ghostly memory"
awake alone
with the ghostly memory
of skeletal houses ...
this one-legged Gazan teen stares
into the borderless sky
FYI: The World Health Organization estimates up to 4, 000 Gazans have had amputations since October 7th, 2023, as shown at the end of the film
The Guardian, March 27, 2025: There are more child amputees in Gaza than anywhere else in the world. What can the future hold for them?
And most importantly, The Amputee Crisis in Gaza BEFORE October 7th, 2023
For example, in 2019, Israeli forces open-fired on Palestinian protestors resulting in 120 amputations, 20 of which were children.
To help with the amputee crisis in Gaza, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) has created the Gaza Amputee Project to help provide surgery, treatment, and prostheses for child amputees.
The following are some of my published tanka about Gazan amputees:
Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LIX: "amputee"
clenching
the toothbrush in his teeth
a Gazan boy
squeezes the tube left-handed
before his cracked mirror
CLXXV: "armless boy"
pile after pile
of shattered concrete and rebar ...
silhouetted
against Gaza's red-tinted skies
an armless boy and his dog
CLXXXIX: "Heaven and Gaza's ruins"
an armless boy's stare
midnight lightning links Heaven
and Gaza's ruins ...
Free Palestine
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