‘These crimes should trigger global intifada’: Palestinian born in Gaza hospital bombed by Israel

An explosion at al Ahli hospital in Gaza (Picture: X)

Dima was born at the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, which Israel bombed on 17 October.  Over the weekend the hospital was only just functioning, with health workers having to treat patients out of tents.

Dima, aged 26, now lives in Sheffield after leaving Gaza when she was seven years old. She told Socialist Worker that the movement must use its rage at the horror in Gaza to “change everything.”

“Palestinians everywhere have been failed,” she explained. “We’ve been failed by the media and governments that try to dehumanise us.

“But things are changing. People are mobilising in their millions. I’ve never seen protests over Palestine like this. I’ve never seen protests that are so dynamic and angry. And it’s not just in Britain.

“I see that people across the world, especially those who have suffered at the hands of settler colonialism, are rising up.

“You see protesters in Indonesia or South Africa, and you know they feel we share a common fight.”

Dima added that Palestinians don’t just want the empathy of onlookers. They want their solidarity and support.

“Palestinians are often portrayed as the eternal victims. But 7 October showed we are willing to die to be free.

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“It was incredible to think that after 75 years of oppression and over 16 years of the siege of Gaza, the resistance was still able to do what they did. They did it with no real army, navy or billions of aid from the US.

“You can’t pick and choose what aspect of Palestinian resistance we choose to support. You have to stand in unconditional support with us and don’t back down. The fact that the Palestinians are still fighting should motivate us all.

“We need to target politicians, shut things down, take direct action and keep protesting. But I think,  it has to come from the bottom up.

“We know that change cannot come through politicians, who many ordinary people realise do not stand on the right side.

“Working class people are the ones who are out on the streets, and we need to mobilise our power and come together across the world. We aren’t powerless.

“It’s never been more clear to me that we need a global intifada.”