'Gaza, Gaza don't you cry!': Memphians march in support of Palestine as deaths rise
Around 400 people met in front of the FedExForum Sunday in support of the citizens of Gaza in Palestine, as the Israeli Defense Force continues its assaults on Gaza and restricting types of humanitarian aid to the densely populated strip in response to the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
With dozens of Palestinian flags hoisted in the air, protestors chanted slogans like, "Biden, Biden, you can't hide. We charge you with genocide" and "Gaza, Gaza, don't you cry! We will never let you die!," as the crowd slowly moved down Beale Street.
The Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry said Sunday the death toll in Gaza has climbed to more than 4,600 people, including more than 1,700 children. More than 13,000 are reported injured after 16 days of constant airstrikes in Gaza, home to roughly 2.3 million Palestinians.
In Israel, more than 1,400 people have been killed, according to the Associated Press. Most of these deaths took place on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants broke through the blockaded Gaza strip and attacked nearby Israeli towns and a music festival taking place near Gaza the day after Sukkot, a major Jewish holiday.
Those who marched from the FedExForum to Tom Lee Park Sunday loudly dispelled what they described as biased reporting from larger Western media outlets that dehumanizes Palestinians.
"It's being one-sided," said Wijdan Abualya, who was attending the rally with her husband and children. "As they say, 'be careful what you watch.' Palestine has been occupied for 75 years. For some people, this is new news. For us, it's our reality. But, finally, our voices are being heard."
Abualya described the 75-year Israeli occupation of Palestine as "the elephant in the room," in the news. But this time, the news is only in control of one channel," she said.
In the latest escalation of violence between Hamas militants and Israel's military, social media users have access to real-time information coming directly from people in Gaza and are directly able to compare what they see on social media to what is reported in major media outlets on the ground.
"If you decide to open your heart, open your mind — you will understand that there's other people being oppressed," Abuayla said.
Months before the Hamas attack, a Gallup poll showed shifting attitudes towards the Israeli government and Palestinians, particularly among Millennials and Democratic voters.
There were no counter-protestors present Sunday; patrons of Beale Street establishments poured out into the street to watch the protest, but no pushback was visibly apparent.
Seema Rasoul, an organizer with Memphis Voices of Palestine, speaking to the crowd intermittently Sunday, urged those gathered to be relentless in speaking out against what many Palestinians feel is an ethnic cleansing of the Gaza strip.
Referring to the latest violence in Gaza and the West Bank, Rasoul noted, was not a "war," but a continuation of colonial occupation that began in 1948 with the forced removal of some 700,000 Palestinian people from the land they lived on.
"It's not a war. Israel is the only side that has an army, has a naval base, and has nuclear weapons. Hamas and Palestinians are literally refugees," said Rasoul.
Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering health, hospitals, and resource access. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis march in support of Palestine draws hundreds to Downtown
