The world is witnessing one of the most harrowing humanitarian crises in modern history, as the people of Gaza endure unimaginable suffering.

The situation in Gaza has reached its lowest point since the start of the ongoing genocide, with Israel continuing to block essential supplies and relentlessly bomb the besieged enclave. More than 60,000 men, women, and children have been killed since 2023, with the death toll only rising as Israel intensifies its attacks.

Gaza, once a thriving community, is now an apocalyptic wasteland. The scale of destruction is staggering: 80% of the region is obliterated, 100% of the population is displaced, and children now account for more than 50% of the casualties. The devastation is not just physical; it is emotional and psychological, as people are left to cope with the loss of everything they knew.

As the bombing continues, many Palestinians have been driven to the brink of exhaustion, faced with the horrifying realization that death is imminent. In these final moments, they have turned to social media, sending their last messages to the world, hoping someone will listen. These are not just messages of despair but also calls for recognition and remembrance. Each farewell is written under the expectation of death, and the weight of those words is unbearable.

Among those who shared their final messages was Palestinian journalist and filmmaker Roshdi Sarraj. In a tweet posted on October 10, 2023, just ten days before he was killed by an Israeli airstrike, Sarraj highlighted the staggering number of journalists killed in the past year and a half.

He lamented the silencing of the truth and the deliberate campaign of terror aimed at journalists, noting that Israel had killed more journalists than the combined total killed in both World Wars. Sarraj's death was just one in a long list of journalists targeted for their reporting on Israel's war crimes.

The systematic targeting of journalists is not a mere accident or collateral damage; it is a calculated attempt to suppress the truth. As the death toll rises, the world remains largely indifferent, with mainstream media and social media platforms censoring content that paints Israel in a negative light. This has led to an even greater sense of hopelessness among Palestinians, whose stories are being erased from the global narrative.

Palestinian filmmaker Fatima Hassouna's tragic death, along with ten members of her family, underscores the premeditated nature of these killings. Just one day after her documentary was selected for an award at the Cannes Film Festival, Hassouna was murdered in an airstrike. Her death, like so many others, was not an unfortunate incident but a deliberate act of violence designed to erase the voices of those documenting the atrocities.

In their final moments, many Palestinians expressed their deepest fears and wishes. Some wrote to tell the world that they did not want to die, while others begged for a quick end, preferring to be killed by bombardment rather than suffer a slow death by starvation. Gaza has become a place where people are forced to choose how they die, a decision no one should ever have to make.

As one doctor in Gaza described, "The occupation is exterminating us all at this very moment. Children are bereft of heads, and martyrs are dismembered, their bodies indistinguishable from their bodies. Blood is everywhere, and body parts are hanging from trees and walls." The brutality of this violence is hard to comprehend, yet it is happening right now, and the world remains largely silent.

Palestinian author and poet Refaat Alareer wrote a poignant poem titled "If I Must Die," a final message to his daughter that has resonated deeply with people around the world. Tragically, Alareer was killed by an Israeli airstrike in December 2023, just weeks after writing the poem. His daughter and grandson were murdered two months later, underscoring the brutal reality faced by Palestinian families who are torn apart by this ongoing conflict.

Behind every written goodbye is a family left to mourn, clinging to the fragile thread of life as they face the horrors of occupation. Nearly 40,000 Palestinian children have been orphaned, and the numbers continue to rise. As the world watches, it is our moral and ethical duty to remember the lives lost and to continue telling their stories.

One doctor in Gaza wrote, "If I die, remember that I, we, were individuals, humans, we had names, dreams, and achievements, and our only fault was that we were classified by the West as inferior." The people of Gaza are not faceless victims; they are human beings with hopes and aspirations, and they deserve to be remembered as such.

As we witness this genocide unfold before our eyes, we must ask ourselves: Where is the humanity? Where are the Western values of justice, equality, and compassion? Gaza is where these values have gone to die, and it is on our watch. We cannot remain silent; we must stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza and demand justice, humanitarian aid, and peace for those who survive.

The words of those who have died must not be forgotten. Their memories must live on, and their killers must be held accountable. "Never again" must not be a hollow promise but a commitment to ensuring that no one, anywhere, ever faces such brutality again.

We cannot allow Gaza's final goodbyes to be in vain. It is our responsibility to keep their stories alive, to ensure that their memories are honored, and to work tirelessly for a future where such atrocities never happen again.