NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The deaths and destruction in Israel and the Gaza Strip are weighing heavily on the minds of Palestinian students at the University of New Orleans. Every day they are waiting for updates from family in the war zone.
“They are in an area where sooner or later they might be affected, and I have to check up on them as much as possible,” says UNO student Darean Asaad Jumakhelik.
“Right now, they are okay, they are just worried about what may happen. Where I am from, they are okay, but in some areas, people don’t have homes,” says UNO student Dunyah Hamdan.
UNO’s Muslim Student Association put together a solidarity with Palestine event to spread awareness about the history between the two countries. Some believe the Palestinian people in Gaza are defending what’s rightfully theirs.
“It’s not fair. Palestinians are not going to sit there for decades and decades watching as our land gets stolen, and our people are being mislocated,” says Jumakhelik.
With tension increasing by the day, these students say they will continue to voice their concerns until the fighting is over.
“The people of Gaza, the citizens there, they are just trying to live essentially. They are constantly being invaded. They are constantly being attacked. Most people don’t know about hospitals, schools, the water, the electricity. People don’t know about these things,” says UNO student Hadi Hammad.
As far as how long they believe this war will last.
“I don’t think this will end anytime soon honestly. I believe this is going to be World War III, especially with the US helping Israel,” says Hamdan.
“It’s really a conflict I don’t see ending anytime soon, which is sad. These people don’t deserve it,” says Hammad.
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