Israel-Palestine war has only defeated one entity, and that is humankind. From wiping out an entire strip to holding hostages and massacring an entire village, the atrocities on either side of the border are a testament to how little war values life.
But an even more perturbing fact is that the world is not standing for LIFE but more for their individual beliefs.
The Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, mark a disgraceful leaf in human rights violations. The three-way strike via air, sea, and land was a blatant encroaching on an area. But what ensued next sent shockwaves across the world.
The gruesome massacre at the Supernova festival got international attention since several tourists were murdered. This was just the beginning of the darkness in broad daylight as the Hamas militants broke into houses and murdered families.
The videos through the body cam footage show a dystopian picture, as the Hamas men abduct hostages forcefully and cheer along, parading the Israelis down the street.
Per their own account, Hamas had taken over 200 hostages. After Israel declared state-of-war, leading to a complete wipe-out of Gaza, killing more than 10000 people in a month.
This has divided the moral compass of the world.
On November 6, 2023, a video went viral of a university student tearing down posters of the missing Israelis put up around New York City. While she was tearing down a poster, a man confronted her, whose cousin was on the missing poster. The student was later identified as Lucia Mendoza, who also works as a medical scribe for RODOLFO A MUNERA MD. Mendoza is under fire for her conduct as netizens demand her removal from her job because of her anti-semitic radical outlook.
Hamas released videos of the hostage testimonies, starting with Mia Shem. Israel’s Defense perceived these videos as a low attempt to clean Hamas’s image to the world.
Amidst the growing tensions and genocide in Gaza, this unthoughtful behavior will only dismantle the unification further.
What We Know About Lucia Mendoza?
Even after the girl in the viral video refused to divulge anything after the man confronted her, it didn’t take long for netizens to dig out her life history.
As per her student profile, Lucia Mendoza was a student at Rutgers University in New Brunswick and was pursuing a law degree.
Lucia Mendoza is also a social activist and is an active member of a support group for Palestine. She was previously employed at BioReference Laboratories, ShopRite, Rutgers University Turfgrass and Field Management, and even Starbucks. Currently, she works as a medical scribe for MUNERA RODOLFO MD.
Netizens also found her social media handles to condemn her shameful display of apathy towards the plight of the man who was seeking to find his missing cousin, taken hostage by Hamas.
Why Was Lucia Mendoza Removing Posters of Kidnapped Israelis?
This now-viral video shows the dichotomy of war and taking sides. Here are two major antithesis of the Israel-Hamas conflict–
- The people of Palestine are paying for the Hamas atrocities. More reports have surfaced that allege that the militant group has baked a baby in the oven. Although the verification is yet to be determined, Palestine is painted in darker colors to the world. People are boxing an entire religion into terrorism.
- Meanwhile, the other side of the border is under critical scrutiny by the world over the incessant airstrikes and complete annihilation of Gaza. Experts and scholars have called it genocide as people from other countries are rallying for a ceasefire in Palestine. Because of this, any reports about the innocent hostages are overshadowed by Israel’s cruelty to Gaza.
Lucia Mendoza falls on the extreme end of the spectrum, where her radical opinions have obscured her perception of the plight of the hostages.
People highly condemned her behavior, considering she is a medical professional with such blatant disregard for human life.
Not all, but a handful of pro-Palestine activists were seen removing the pictures of missing Israeli people/kids from the cities, citing that these might be propaganda by the Israeli government to justify the state of war and Gaza genocide.
An AverageBeing Take On Lucia Mendoza Removing Missing Posters of Israeli Kids
Empathy: Even if people have opposing beliefs, there’s no denying that the only entities losing the war are the innocent civilians. It is essential to highlight the sufferings of humanity.
Direction: Instead of focusing on the other side, we need to stand united to end the war. Such actions (removing posters of missing persons) are two steps back from our own beliefs.
Educate and Agitate: It is essential to educate people about the ongoing atrocities. The agitation should come for the governments and the world leaders and not for the innocent lives on either side of the border.
Lucia Mendoza’s inconsiderate actions became a reflection of racism and anti-semitism rather than the credence that we are standing against the war and the ongoing genocide.
What is your take on this case? Do you think that going against ‘people’ is the solution to end the war? What are your thoughts on Mendoza’s actions?
What would you have done if someone removed your relative’s missing poster? Let us know in the comments section below.
