NURŞAN EBDÎ

Kobanî – What is happening in Gaza resonates deeply with the women of Kobani, who endured the 2014 ISIS attacks on their city. They stress that the international community has taken no meaningful steps to alleviate the suffering of civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

As attacks continue, women in NE Syria have raised their voices in solidarity with Gaza, expressing shared pain and humanitarian support for women and children in the blockaded region. Kobani women emphasized the transnational unity of women’s suffering.

‘Women’s pain anywhere is our pain’

Medina Muslim, from Kobani, said, “Through social media, we see the hunger, killings, and blockade endured by Gaza’s women and children. They face some of the worst violations, particularly against women, yet the world remains silent.”

She criticized Arab states for failing to act, noting, “We denounce the lack of any humanitarian stance from Middle Eastern countries toward Gaza’s children and women. The League of Arab States should have brokered a ceasefire, delivered food, and lifted the blockade, but it remained silent.”

Muslim added, “Women in NE Syria feel Gaza’s suffering because we too endured sieges and massacres by Turkish occupation. Our position is always firm and clear: when women and children are killed, when children die of hunger and thirst, women’s pain anywhere in the world is our pain.”

She continued, “What’s happening in Gaza highlights the collapse of humanity. It is a stain on human conscience and Arab states.” She called on human rights organizations, child protection agencies, and the League of Arab States to act immediately to halt the war and lift the blockade, preventing the deaths of Gaza’s children.

‘We stand with them in solidarity and support’

Wahida Khalil emphasized, “In every war and conflict imposed by dominant or authoritarian states, it is always the people—especially women and children—who suffer. Gaza today is proof of this reality.”

She noted that what is happening in Gaza “resonates deeply with us, as the Kurdish people have endured countless violations and massacres throughout history and to this day. But, as an organized society guided by a philosophy of struggle and freedom, we have been able to resist these violations and defend our land, identity, and rights through legitimate defense within the framework of the people’s revolutionary struggle. In Gaza, however, the people fall victim to war and conflict because they lack such organization.”

She emphasized that women and children are the most affected by war: “The groups that shape society and have the power to lead and resist annihilation are women and children, which is why they are specifically targeted. As women of North and East Syria, we feel the suffering of women in Gaza as if it were our own, because women’s pain is universal. We resist the mindset that seeks to erase women and their existence. Wherever women face violence, abuse, or torture, we stand with them in solidarity and support.”

Wahida Khalil asked, “Where are the human rights organizations regarding what is happening in Gaza today? These organizations claim around the world that they protect and defend human rights—so why is no one defending the rights of people in Gaza?”

She added that their silence “proves the saying that silence implies consent. If this were not the case, these organizations would have issued statements condemning what is happening in Gaza. Furthermore, where are the 22 Arab states, and why have they done nothing for Gaza?”

Wahida Khalil called for an end to the massacres in Gaza: “Stop killing the people, children, and women of Gaza. To end this war, the population must organize, and women in particular must organize themselves to defend their cause and their city.”