Peace and justice above all

The violent attack perpetrated by Hamas that killed hundreds of Israeli civilians led forces from Israel to almost immediately respond with brutal bombings in the region, starting another chapter of violence that, unsurprisingly, caused a high number of deaths of people who simply live or happened to be in the crossfire. 

Meanwhile, the social media reaction to such events, especially in Brazil, spent the week giving us several inhumane examples of how not to react to such a conflict. 

Instead of words of solidarity and calls for peace, many netizens used the opportunity to reinforce their own narratives, justifying the deaths of innocent civilians, be they from Israel or Palestine, in order to prove a point. Sober analysis was hard to come by. 

The conflict between Israel and Palestine is not an equal war. For decades, impoverished Palestinians have been subjected to violence and deprived from “freedom, dignity and rights” due to decisions made by the state of Israel, in the words of the UN.

Even so, nothing can justify the horrors committed by Hamas this week, whose actions only serve to provoke more aggressive reactions from Israel, creating a vicious cycle of violence. 

Meanwhile, innocent people, including children on both sides, die in a conflict they will never know why still happens. That’s why, peace, above all, must prevail. 

Check out the creation of this cartoon on The Brazilian Report’s TikTok (@brazilianreport) account.

• #diplomacy
• #israel
• #violence