To the people of Syria,
Our hearts cry for you.
We cry because of the destruction that is exploding in your home. It cries for the pain, the suffering and the death that you have had to confront.
Our hearts cry for you.
On Tuesday, April 4, 2017, Syrian military warplanes dropped chemical weapons on a makeshift hospital in Khan Sheikoun that cared for many civilians. At least 80 Syrians lost their lives and roughly 30 of them were children. The chemicals attacked the lungs, leading to a slow and horrible death.
Not only were civilians targeted but rescue and medical task forces as well.
Four hours after the chemical attack, some of the Syrian Civil Defense teams (the White Helmets), were targeted by the Syrian military. One of their centers in Khan Sheikhoun was hit by six airstrikes. Nearby, a hospital was targeted and hit by four. These attacks disabled many teams and their abilities to provide aid.
Our hearts cry for you.
Images of suffocated, lifeless bodies went viral on the internet all around the world.
Some of the photos were of lifeless children. These children, among the most vulnerable, would have been the future of Syria. These were small babies who did not have a chance to grow. These were children who were unaware of what death even was. They were children that did not know that they were going to be targeted with poison.
Our hearts cry for you.
Videos of men, women and children getting hosed off were shared. Videos shared of family or complete strangers banging on the chests of their dying people, trying to get them to breathe. To live. Videos captured loved ones holding their murdered family, while their hearts break and cry.
These videos went viral on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.
There was a disturbing video on Facebook that consisted of pictures and videos of the distress these people had gone through; the horror they faced.
As we watched, we had to stop the video many times because our hearts could not take it. We had to cry.
Our hearts cry for you.
But they are just videos, images and articles that disappear after a few hours on a person’s timeline. On each of our timelines.
But the Syrian Crisis does not disappear. It will not disappear.
It is real and occurring now.
The effects of one attack does not disappear overnight. The pain of losing a loved one does not disappear overnight. The striking images of the event do not disappear from one’s mind overnight.
We ask you, those who reading, to stay aware.
Follow the Syrian crisis. Help get the government on board to help the millions of Syrian refugees who are displaced around the world. Who are in Syria right now feeling the torture their government has inflicted on them.
The United States has sent a violent message to Syria’s President, Bassar Al Assad.
President Trump and Congress agreed to target one of Syria’s military bases that took part in the chemical attack. They ordered a missile strike.
They sent a message to Assad to stop. To stop using chemical weapons. To stop killing its people. To stop killing its men, women and children.
They sent a message of warning.
Again, we ask you to stay educated on the Syrian crisis. To not support the warfare attacks but the people who are being harmed and not able to live their lives.
Support increased aid to refugees. In January, the UN said it needed more than $4 billion to help Syrian refugees. To date, the entire world has contributed less than 10 percent of that. President Trump has proposed cutting aid and even eliminating an agency that is responsible for refugee assistance.
The people of Syria need to know that we are with them. That we support them. That we support their effort to find peace. That we can help them keep hope in their hearts that one day there will be no more destruction, death and war.
