"No, it Did Not Begin on October 7"

Khaled Abuqare says as an activist, it has been difficult to put the Palestinian perspective on the table because in the initial weeks of the war, the focus was on the Israeli perspective

- Khaled Abuqare

IT did not start on October 7. It escalated on October 7. For more than 75 years, we have been living like refugees. We have been denied the right of return even though it has been articulated in the international law. Before October 7, there used to be home demolitions, limits on movement, arrests and attacks on farmers, women, children and elderly people every day. But this time, it is genocide.

When the war escalated in Gaza, I was not in Palestine. I am currently studying abroad. It is very challenging and difficult to be away. I have family and friends back in Jerusalem and the West Bank. I have some friends in Gaza. They don’t reply a lot because the Internet has been cut down, so it is a bit concerning.