It was a Sunday morning. I was awakened from my rest. I heard joyous screams from children swimming in the pool outside.
I got out of bed to do my morning routine, brush my teeth, wash my face and drink a cup of tea.
Then I opened social media, and I was met with screams from children again — this time the cries of Palestinian children.
They scream in confusion, fear and pain, wondering when they'll be saved.
Children their age are meant to enjoy their childhood, to mix with their friends without fear of getting bombed, to play, to learn, to love. Yet they are faced with humanity's bad side: conflict.
They learn to hate, to feel pain that people usually experience later in life, to grieve over death, and to learn the concept of death face first.
Why is it that they suffer every waking moment of their life?
They spend each moment wondering: "Is today the day it ends? Will I be taken out of my misery and acquaint myself with the embrace of my creator?"
Is it fair they go through this thought process every day, while we sit in the comfort of our home?
Each day is a blessing, I tell myself. I have a roof over my head and enough food and water. But do I deserve any of this?
What cruel fate decided that these children are to be tormented daily?
Yet we are silent, while genocide is taking place in front of our eyes.
"When did the world become so rotten" is what I'm thinking, if not for the fact that there are people doing everything to help the Palestinians: raising funds, promoting organisations to help, and speaking about this issue regularly.
For someone who is in his teens, this is what a true humanitarian looks like.
The truth is that Palestinians are oppressed, their water supply is poisoned, they are powerless and bombed every day. It is sad that children are raising other children.
People are speaking up about this injustice against the Palestinians.
We know the truth about the Palestinian situation. And that is why we say that "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free".
ARRYA RIZKY GUNAWAN HADI PUTRA
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times