Israeli girl living in Gaza border community hits back at John Oliver

"Every siren makes me cry and feel sad," Renana said. "Just so you know, my army is strong. However, this does not protect me from being afraid."

By ZACHARY KEYSER
Israeli girl living in Gaza border community hits back at John Oliver
Renana, a 10-year-old girl from Kfar Azza - one of the Gaza border communities where rocket sirens have been ringing day and night for the past week and a half - recorded a response to talk show host John Oliver, who denounced Israel's operation in Gaza on his show earlier this week.
Oliver gave his take on the show last Sunday regarding the recent escalation of violence between Israel and the Gaza terror groups who have launched over 3,700 rockets into Israeli territory since Monday of last week, claiming the fighting is imbalanced.
Within the most recent episode of Last Week Tonight, Oliver emphasized the disproportionate nature of the casualty figures on both sides and accused Israel of war crimes - pointing to Israeli airstrikes carried out on apartment buildings, refugee camps and the building housing the offices of both the Associated Press and Al Jazeera.
"Destroying a civilian residence sure seems like a war crime," Oliver claimed. "Regardless if you send a courtesy heads up text," he added, alluding to the IDF's tactics of roof knocking and evacuating civilians from buildings before targeting these sites with airstrikes.
"Both sides are firing rockets, but one side has one of the most advanced militaries in the world," Oliver said. "Both sides are suffering heartbreaking casualties, but one side is suffering them exponentially... if you believe Israel’s actions are warranted and proportionate this week, you’re welcome to try and make that argument."
While Oliver stated that Hamas firing thousands of rockets into Israel is reprehensible, he piggybacked off the argument that the majority of those rockets did not hit their targets, not taking into account the psychological impact the sirens have on those living within striking distance of the coastal enclave.
"Every siren makes me cry and feel sad," Renana said, speaking well beyond her years. "Just so you know, my army is strong. However, this does not protect me from being afraid."
Renana added that since she was born, she has lived in fear of her life, uncertain when the next conflict will break out or the unsettling fear that her home will be hit by a rocket the Iron Dome fails to intercept.
Since she was six, Renana has been in therapy to deal with these issues.
"Israel was founded to protect the Jewish nation," she said. "We will not be sorry for [Israel] being a strong country."
She said that besides the assumptions most people have, Israel does not attack "whatever it wants to," adding that Hamas on the contrary has been attacking Israel for the past 20 years - whether it be rocket attacks, kidnappings, suicide bombings, stabbings, etc.
"I just want this to end," she concluded. "I just want peace and a normal childhood for me and for all the children in Gaza."
Since the beginning of the fighting, over 3,700 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel - many of them targeting the Gaza border communities, with some 500 falling short and landing inside the coastal enclave. Magen David Adom reported that 12 people in Israel have died since the beginning of the fighting and over 330 have been injured.
The Gaza health ministry says a total of 220 people have died since the beginning of the fighting, including 63 children & 36 women. Another 1,500 people have been wounded. Yusef Abu Hussein, a radio presenter with Sawt Al-Aqsa radio, was allegedly killed in an IDF strike overnight in Gaza City, according to Palestinian reports.
Anna Ahronheim and Hannah Brown contributed to this report.