By Kate S.

As a Ukrainian, scrolling on social media and seeing users debate the war in my home country has been a pain and a struggle. The eyes of the world are on two most important conflicts, leading to a mass of disagreements between the countries: Should Ukraine or Palestine get more attention?

The history and reason behind the current events in Palestine and Ukraine are different, but one thing is certain: Both sides deserve support in equal measure, and bringing attention to a specific issue does not require eliminating the other.

Ukrainians and Palestinians suffer from constant attacks, the inability to get food, water, and medicine, people sleeping under bombs, not knowing when the opponent is going to strike. Lost hopes, lost lives that will be forever remembered, and children whose future has been violently taken. The pictures of destroyed cities make it hard to distinguish whether it’s the remains of Ukrainian land or completely ruined Palestinian homes where life was once thriving.

Seeing the pictures of destroyed Gaza and Mariupol, starving kids in Palestine, and bombed hospitals in Ukraine seems like a nightmare that you can’t wake up from. But what do people say lying in the warm beds with food on the table? “Ukraine gets too much attention,” or “the Palestinian issue is not that important.” Arguing who deserves more support and bringing race into comparisons divides the world instead of focusing on how to help civilians suffering in both countries. A TikTok influencer and reporter from Ukraine said, “This is not a genocide Olympics.” This is an issue that we let thrive in the middle of Europe and the Middle East after experiencing the most horrific wars and conflicts in the past. 

While governments stay neutral and justify the war crimes in Gaza, people from the active war zones understand the struggle and support each other. More than 300 Ukrainian activists, artists, and scholars submitted an open letter to support their solidarity with Palestinians, stating that civilians understand the pain while witnessing Israel targeting infrastructure and people in Gaza. If people who are suffering can stand for and support each other in the most difficult and horrific times, why can’t we?