Rua Qdeih, a 14-years-old girl from Gaza, received a medal from Pope Francis for her writings during Israel’s 2014 war on Gaza. The medal was delivered by Pierre Krähenbühl, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Today in #Gaza handed over to Rua a personal medal from His Holiness Pope Francis. During my private audience on March 16 in Rome, I had shared with @Pontifex story of Rua’s notebook. The Pope expressed deep respect for her courage and that of 525’000 Palestine refugee students. pic.twitter.com/qHK7otqA7E
— Pierre Krähenbühl (@PKraehenbuehl) March 28, 2018
Krähenbühl found Rua’s notebook in the rubbles of her school in Khan Younis, south of Gaza Strip, which was destroyed during the Israeli war in 2014. Rua had written about the horror she and her family had experienced during the war, when her family’s home was shelled, burnt and partially destroyed, and her mother was injured.
Khuzaa, Khan Younis #Gaza. Site of massive atrocities of 2014 war. Notice the caravan & tents where homes once were pic.twitter.com/Y7wSxZCop6
— Jen Marlowe (@donkeysaddleorg) February 25, 2015
Krähenbühl picked up the notebook, which included a poem written in Arabic, “Hope never betrays”, and took it, in order to show it to the rest of the world and to Pope Francis in particular two weeks ago, during a meeting for donor countries in Rome.
Pope Francis was so impressed by Rua’s writing and sincere feelings that he awarded her a medal, to show his pride in the refugee children and their courage, according to Rua.
But after Israel bombed two grade schools in Gaza in 2014 and killed over 500 Palestinian children using bombs from the US, you immediately moved to resupply Israel's war coffers with cash and more bombs. The streets of Gaza were littered for years with US bomb fragments. pic.twitter.com/gT8GyU6gVJ
— BDSAmerica (@IsraeliFascism) March 25, 2018
“Children have the right to live and to go to school without fear or terror, and we are steadfast in our land despite the siege and the difficult conditions in Gaza,” she told WAFA.
“I’m so glad that I managed to convey my message to the whole world, and to Pope Francis. The children of Gaza have the right to enjoy all their basic human rights in freedom, living in dignity and a life free of war,” she added.
(Wafa, PC, Social Media)
