call me lofi !! | she/he/they | multifandom | don’t use my art without gaining permission from me first | reblogs are always appreciated 🌹🌹 pfp by @wikipoodia my art
the stupidest thing about the past 24 hours new cycle has been seeing how many people are talking about political self-immolation as a new thing and a sign of instability when there is an entire wikipedia article documenting them going back to 1948 and ive literally never seen anybody talking about any of them as signs of debilitating mental illness before
So many Palestinians’ lives will just never be the same. Even on the chance that a ceasefire is declared, which even that isn’t forthcoming, it will not undo the trauma of having your home destroyed, of having the cafe you dwelled every day reduced to rubble, of digging among ruins to see your loved ones one last time, of living in makeshift encampments that are bombarded by airstrikes day and night, of experiencing a live genocide while the world does absolutely nothing to stop it. Those people have seen things they can never speak of—and still we have people chalking it up to “exterminating Hamas,” to “Arabs being terrorists,” to “both sides are in the wrong.” The least we owe Palestinians is a free Palestine, but it’s far from the last thing.
Israel’s army is not a Defense force, it’s an Occupying force. They’re not defending anything, they’re occupying an Indigenous people’s land. Don’t fall for Israel’s wording scheme.
I apologize to the people of Gaza if my appearance anywhere has stolen the spotlight from the massacres and ethnic cleansing that take place there. I apologize to the people of my city. No one knows except you how harsh it is that we live in longing and regret for our small city, which no matter how much we’re wronged in it, we still love.
I try as much as possible to be your loyal son. One of you, who only represents himself [and not other groups]. Someone who is trying to convey an image that truly represents you. An image that should have been conveyed a long time ago. We are not numbers.
I try to avoid the spotlight except for what serves Gaza in particular and Palestine in general. Media interviews, interviews with prominent figures, perhaps just to succeed in achieving something tangible for our people, I hope.
I am one of you, a young man from the destroyed city. I did not ask for fame. I did not ask to be in the limelight. I did not ask for war. I'm haunted by the feeling that made me leave, the heartbreak, and the survivor's guilt. If I knew that by staying in Gaza I would have made a difference, I would not have left you. No one moves, and the scenes continue to be repeated.
We have all lost, we have lost a lot, and we have been left alone, alone!
And remember that I am one from you and one for you.”