Palestinians

By Muhammad Abubakar

Omar Yaghi, a Palestinian-born scientist whose journey began in a refugee family in Jordan, has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the honour earlier today, recognising his pioneering work in designing and developing new classes of materials that have revolutionised the field of chemistry.

Speaking to reporters while in transit between flights, Yaghi reflected on his humble beginnings: “My parents could barely read or write. It’s been quite a journey. Science allows you to do it.”

Born to Palestinian refugees who fled to Jordan, Yaghi’s journey to scientific excellence was far from straightforward. As a young student, he was drawn to the beauty of chemistry, a fascination that eventually led him to develop metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), materials now vital in energy storage, clean water production, and environmental sustainability.

Yaghi described his motivation as both artistic and intellectual: “I set out to build beautiful things and solve intellectual problems.”

For many across the Arab world, especially Palestinians, Yaghi’s achievement serves as an inspiring reminder that brilliance can arise from the most difficult beginnings.

By Hadiza Abdulkadir

An Illinois man has been sentenced to 53 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy in what prosecutors described as a hate-motivated attack.

Joseph Czuba, 71, was convicted earlier this year of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and aggravated battery after he attacked Wadea Al-Fayoume and the boy’s mother, Hanaan Shahin, at their home in Plainfield Township in October 2023. Authorities said Czuba targeted the victims because of their Muslim faith and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

During sentencing on Friday, the judge described the act as “brutal and senseless,” emphasising the need for justice and deterrence in cases driven by hate.

Wadea, who had recently celebrated his sixth birthday, was stabbed 26 times. His mother, who survived the attack, suffered multiple stab wounds and continues to recover.

The case drew national attention and widespread condemnation, with civil rights groups calling for greater protection of Muslim and Arab-American communities amid rising tensions.

Czuba showed no remorse during the hearing. His attorneys said they plan to appeal the conviction.

By Muhammad Sulaiman

An Israeli soldier has told CBS News that he was ordered to use Palestinian civilians as human shields during military operations in Gaza. 

The soldier, identified by CBS as “Tommy” (not his real name), detailed how his unit was instructed to force civilians into dangerous situations to protect Israeli troops.

“We’ve burned down buildings for no reasons, which is violating the international law, of course,” he told CBS News. “…And we used human shields as protection.”

Tommy said his commander ordered his unit to use Gazan civilians to search buildings for explosives instead of dogs.

“They were Palestinian,” he said. “We sent them in first to see if the building was clear and check for booby traps…They were trembling and shaking.”

The allegations add to growing concerns over Israel’s conduct in its ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Human rights organizations have long accused the Israeli military of violating international law, including the use of civilians in combat zones.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have denied such practices, insisting that they operate within legal and ethical guidelines. However, Tommy’s testimony raises serious questions about Israel’s adherence to international humanitarian law.

By Najeeb Maigatari

The recent Zionist Israeli regime’s serial attacks on defenceless Palestinians in Rafah, a city in the Southern Gaza Strip, is an issue of serious concern that should never be swept under the carpet. The gory pictures making the rounds on social media platforms are horrifyingly disturbing, to say the least.

What was once a shelter for homeless Palestinians- courtesy of the Israeli regime’s act of terror on the former- is now turned into a slaughterhouse. According to the Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), all the 36 shelters established for Palestinian refugees in Rafah are now empty. People have either been killed or fled.

Since the beginning of this heinous act, the hashtag #AllEyesOnRafah has been trending and has been shared by millions of people across social media platforms to highlight the imperative of putting an end to the continued suffering of the Palestinian people.

The attack on Rafah is a continuation of a decades-long act of usurper terrorism and settler-colonialism aimed at pushing for the heinous agenda of Zionist Imperialist expansionism right at the heart of Palestinian land, a holy place for Muslims, Christians and Orthodox Jews alike. Since July of the previous year, the illegitimate state of Israel has ruthlessly intensified its attacks on the defenceless Palestinians, this time in particular targeting hospitals, schools, worship centres, and refugee camps.

The United Nations Office on Palestinian Affairs has put the death toll from this heinous crime to around 34,000 people. However, according to a report from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MOH), no fewer than 36,756 have been killed since the beginning of the operation. Nevertheless, the figures underscore the true extent of the ongoing Israeli genocide in various Palestinian territories.

According to another report from UNICEF, children account for over 40% of the mass casualties. This is to say for every 100 people killed, over 40 of them are children. Indeed, Palestine is a grave for women and children. Nowadays, few children live to witness their first birthdays, courtesy of the murderous Israeli regime.

It is worth noting that the deafening silence of the international community on this issue of magnanimous human rights violations is a shame on us all. Under our watch, the Illegitimate state of Israel is waging an all-out war against innocent Palestinians – on their own land – in a bid to expand their settler-colonialist agenda.

We all have a responsibility toward the oppressed people of Palestine. Now that the Israeli regime has shown that it has no regard for international laws, as it continued its terrorist operations in complete disregard for all known such laws and provisions, here are some ways we can help the people of Palestine:

We can engage in demonstrations/rallies/sit-ins in our workplaces, worship centres, schools, streets, etc., to show our solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine. This should also send a clear message to the Israeli regime and its allies that the teeming world of humanity is watching them and will no longer sit idly as innocent Palestinians are massacred in cold blood.

In addition, we can demand and mount pressure on our governments to cut all diplomatic ties and stop all economic dealings with the murderous, illegitimate Israeli regime; and to officially recognize the regime as the terrorist state that they truly are! Our countries should borrow a leaf from such countries as Spain, Norway and Ireland, who have recently followed the footsteps of other dozen countries that cut off all ties with Israel and officially recognize the Palestinian state.

We can also demand that the International Community impose sanctions against Israeli officials for their unspeakable war crimes against innocent Palestinian civilians. In the same vein, an economic blockade should be enforced on the very organizations that fund the activities of the terrorist Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Furthermore, we can boycott all products produced by Israel and the companies that support or fund their act of terrorism. This will cause a huge economic blow to the murderous regime and will hamper their ability to locally produce or buy arms which they use to kill innocent and defenceless Palestinian civilians.

At the individual level, we can contribute to the Palestinian struggle for freedom and the right to self-determination by sending relief aid either directly (through reliable #GoFundMe projects) or through their representatives in various countries. We can also help raise awareness by joining campaigns on social and print media regarding the flight of the Palestinian people.

What is happening in Palestine is arguably the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. Our silence is giving way to more Israeli genocide. We are enablers of this very crime against humanity until we wake up and do the needful. As the South African anti-apartheid movement leader Nelson Mandela rightly puts it during his Presidential inaugural speech in 1994: “We know too well that our Freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinian people”.

Najeeb Maigatari wrote via maigatari313@gmail.com.