TIME TO EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT GAZA

Photo by Emily Hopkins

More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the last month by Israel’s assault on Gaza. At least one in five of those killed have been children, according to data from the UN. As news rolls out of continuous shelling, as pictures emerge of murdered children, your heart sticks to your throat.

Thousands of miles away, it’s hard to find tactile things one can do to help. First and foremost: Educate yourself. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is complicated, and there are countless sources tainted by bias, propaganda, or omission. Here in the Hub, when hundreds upon hundreds of people gathered to protest in the name of Palestine last week – and nearly two dozen of them blockaded Beacon Street for two hours – our own Boston Globe didn’t even send a photographer.

Once you have the information, share it. Write letters to your representatives and to local newspapers. Learn about boycotts and sanction campaigns aimed toward corporations that benefit from the Israeli occupation. And donate to the Gaza Mental Health Foundation, whose mission is to provide services to the people – and especially children – who live through attacks like those that have recently left in excess of 700 civilians dead and thousands more injured.