Leila's Podcast

The podcast "Voices of Palestine" explores the ongoing war in Palestine and its historical roots. The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis dates back to Britain's support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine in 1917, despite Arabs being the majority. The host, Leila Salari, realizes that the government's aim in the war is to gain control of the land known as Palestine. She interviews Lana, a 19-year-old from Gaza, who describes the difficulties of accessing basic necessities like food and medical care. Doha, a survivor from Gaza, shares her experiences of seeking shelter during the massacres and the pain of losing loved ones. The podcast emphasizes the human impact of the conflict and calls for support and a ceasefire. I'm Leila Salari and this is Voices of Palestine, an investigative podcast that focuses on the war that is currently happening in Palestine. In order to understand the Palestinian-Israeli conflict today, we must go back in the past to see how it all started. I immediately went on to BBC News and tried to find any information that could tell me more about how this war even came to be. Palestine, once Canaan, housed ancient Israel and Judah. The term Palestine initially referred to a small area in southern Canaan inhabited by the Philistines. In 1917, Britain supported a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Despite Arabs being the majority, leading to the Arab-Israeli conflict that endures today. After reading that paragraph, I took some time to reflect on what it was that I had just read. Three seconds after, a word that I had read in the paragraph had come back to me, Homeland. Jewish Homeland. It was at that moment that I had an epiphany. I had just realized what it is that the government wants from this war. It's the land known as Palestine. In order to know the truth about what is actually happening in Palestine, I need to talk to someone who has already experienced living in the midst of this crisis. Someone like Lana. Lana is a 19-year-old girl from Gaza and this was supposed to be her first year in university, but unfortunately her university got destroyed and then she was forced to evacuate to Egypt with her mother and sisters. How did you and others manage access to basic necessities like food, water, and medical care? It was very difficult also because all the food, just canned food, there is no fish food, there is no vegetables, there is no fruit, there is no chicken and meat, it's just canned food. And also, there was some vegetables or some chicken, it was very expensive and also it wasn't enough for the huge number of people. I was in Rafah, so there was more than one million person in Rafah, and Rafah is a very small area. So when they list some chicken or some meat enters to Rafah, and makes the people want to, like if we want to go to buy some chicken, it was very hard. My dad had to wake up very early to go and stay in a line, maybe for two or three hours in a queue just for buying chicken for the whole family. Did you guys get medical care? Actually not. The hospitals or the clinics in Rafah, there is a shortage in everything. And if there is something available, just the people who got injured. And also, when one of my sisters got patient or she needs some medicine, it's very difficult to find this kind of medicine. We have to go for a pharmacist, actually the pharmacy, it was just empty. There's no kind of medicine there. And my mother looking for another pharmacy, she found like a tent, and they put a nurse in this tent and some kind of medicine. Not all kind of medicine were available. The situation in Rafah, it was different than in the north. In the north, it was very difficult, and some people died from hunger. But this time there, teach me something that if you have money, you wouldn't find anything to buy from your money. So the rich people and the poor people are equal. They are the same. I couldn't find the clean water, and my neighbor can't find the clean water. So we are at the same condition or at the same situation. What are your hopes for the future of Gaza and its people? Actually, I hope one day I can return to Gaza and we can rebuild Gaza and make it more beautiful than the last. And I hope my people, my friends, my relatives, and my dad stay safe at this time. I know I'm here now, but really my heart, my soul, my thoughts actually stuck there. So I hope one day I can see them when they are okay and fine. Lama and her family went through a lot, but my second interviewee Doha went through more than you could ever imagine. Doha is a 29-year-old survivor from Gaza, and she has witnessed four offensive massacres. But unfortunately, that's not even the most tragic part of her story. Where would people take shelter from the genocide that's happening in Gaza? People they were taking the schools as a shelter for them because there is no shelters on the whole strip. And even when they invaded the strip, they took the people out of the schools and they put them in jails. They attacked the schools, they bombed the whole schools. Is there anything else you would like people to know about the situation in Gaza? When I asked her this question, a part of her answer mentioned her deceased cousin Ahmed. She mentioned that before he was murdered, he posted a post on Facebook that said, If I'm murdered, if I was killed, just don't forget me. I don't want to be a number. I don't want to be forget. Just talk about me, talk about my dreams. I'm begging you, don't forget me, just talk about me, just tell the world about me. I don't want to be just a number. Listening to Doha's response to that last question, it shows you that losing a loved one is very painful. But for Doha, it must have been a thousand times worse. Throughout this podcast, we've delved into the historical roots, the current state of affairs, and the profound human impact of this enduring struggle on Palestinian people in Palestine. The war in Palestine is not just a political issue, but a deeply human one, affecting millions of lives on a daily basis. So please, support the Palestinians by calling for an immediate ceasefire. Your voice can make a difference. Voices of Palestine are written and hosted by me, Leila Salari. Special thanks to Lama and Doha for being my interviewees. May God bless them both immensely. Stay tuned for our next episode, where we will continue to shed light on critical global issues. Until then, keep listening.