What Israel Calls Safe, Gaza Families Now Call a Graveyard
“Are we going somewhere safe?”
That’s what countless Palestinian children have asked as their families fled one destroyed neighborhood after another in Gaza. But as Dalia Abu Ramadan movingly writes in her Truthout essay, even so-called “safe zones” have become death traps. Schools, markets, homes, and hospitals—spaces that should be protected under international law—have been reduced to rubble under Israeli airstrikes. Families were told to evacuate north Gaza. Then south. Then west. And still, the bombs came.
At the Peace Economy Project, we are devastated and enraged by these stories. We exist to challenge a global system that prioritizes weapons and war over human life. And what is happening in Gaza right now is a direct result of that system operating at full force—with no brakes, no accountability, and no moral justification.
Militarism Without Limits
Dalia’s firsthand account describes the horror of being bombed in Gaza’s Al-Rimal neighborhood—an area the Israeli military labeled a “safe zone.” She recalls how her father narrowly escaped a blast while buying flour, and how her brother survived a strike at a café, where dozens were killed, including students just trying to access the internet to continue their education. Children like ten-year-old Noah Al-Saqqa were told it was safe to run to the store—only to be buried hours after their birthday party.
These are not accidents. These are not isolated. These are symptoms of a militarized worldview that treats civilians as collateral and human suffering as acceptable.
Why It Matters in the U.S.
The United States provides more than $3 billion annually in military aid to Israel, funding the very weapons systems responsible for this destruction. This means we are not neutral. We are not observers. We are complicit.
Weapons paid for by U.S. tax dollars are being used against hospitals, schools, and refugee camps. While American families struggle to access housing, healthcare, and education, our government is pouring billions into tools of war—supporting a strategy that perpetuates violence rather than peace.
We must ask: What does it mean to fund military “security” when children are dying in places they were told were safe?
What Peace Requires
Peace is not the absence of war rhetoric—it is the presence of justice. It requires accountability for war crimes, the protection of civilians, and the honoring of international humanitarian law. It means ending the policy of military aid without oversight, and investing instead in diplomacy, reconstruction, and human dignity.
As Dalia’s piece so painfully illustrates, “safety” under militarism is a lie. No neighborhood is safe when airstrikes are indiscriminate. No child is safe when bombs are dropped on grocery stores and cafés. No future is safe when the world remains silent.
We Stand in Solidarity
The Peace Economy Project stands with the people of Gaza. We stand with families whose children were murdered in so-called safe zones. We call for:
- An immediate ceasefire
- An end to U.S. military aid used for violence against civilians
- International accountability for war crimes
- A reimagining of security that centers peace, not power
Join us. Share Dalia Abu Ramadan’s story. Demand that your elected officials stop funding this devastation. Let the cries from Gaza—“How could this happen?”—never go unanswered again.
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At Peace Economy Project, we believe true security comes from investing in communities—not in bombs. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Blue Sky, or subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed and take action.
