By Ragheema Mclean
“They will tell you it all started on October 7th, but they fooled you – Teach and tell your children about Palestine and the history of Palestine so that our legacy continues, and they do not erase it completely.”
These were the words of Al Jazeera Gaza correspondent, Youmna El-Sayed, who has been in South Africa on a special story sharing tour bringing attention to the ongoing plight of Palestinians.
El-Sayed along with other guest speakers including anti-apartheid activist Dr. Allan Boesak addressed dozens of Pro-Palestinian supporters and activists at the Bo-Kaap Cultural Hub on Sunday.
Forced to leave the besieged territory just three months after covering the Israeli war on Gaza, El-Sayed is one of many journalists who have faced extreme dangers, with over 160 journalists and media practitioners killed since October 2023.
Despite the danger, she remained dedicated to her mission until she and her family were eventually forced to evacuate to Cairo, where they now reside.
“I am a survivor of the most brutal genocide history [that] mankind has seen. I am a journalist and a person who has chosen Gaza to be her nation,” she told the audience.
She explained the heart-wrenching and difficult it was for her to make the decision to leave Gaza.
“They will tell you it started on October 7th, but they fooled you,” El-Sayed said.
“After three months of covering this genocide, leaving was the most difficult decision I could have made. But I was left with only that choice if I wanted my children to survive.”
El-Sayed said that her story is not unique but represents the experiences of over 2 million Palestinians living in Gaza.
“This is not just my story or the story of my family, this is story of every Palestinian in Gaza. So, when I speak, I speak about each and every one of them.”
“My camera man and I made a deal that we would go out every single day and make stories for people to see from inside the hospitals and on the streets. We wanted to show the world what was happening.”
She detailed the 17-year Israeli siege that has restricted movement and access to essential resources, including medical supplies, which are often blocked under the pretext of being ‘dual-use’ items.
“It’s an ongoing injustice that needs to end, and we can’t end it alone because as Palestinians we have nothing but our resilience, our resistance, and our steadfastness,” she continued.
“But this is an occupation that aims to ethnically cleanse us, to slaughter us and our generations, and to confiscate our lands.”
“Tell your children about Palestine and the history of Palestine so that our legacy continues, and they do not erase it.
“If there is one thing that you do, can it is to boycott all the companies that are proudly weaponing Israel against its genocide against the Palestinian people everywhere in Palestine,’ she plead.
Listen to the full speech below:
VOC News
Photos: VOCfm
