
For the first time, Israelis are getting a glimpse of what it feels like to live in Gaza.
They cannot leave. They are trapped in a war zone. And they are at the mercy of a government that has no intention of backing down.
Israel has grounded its own citizens, ordering airlines not to fly them out—even as rescue operations begin for others. The message is clear: you will stay, and you will endure whatever comes next.
Gaza has lived under this reality for decades. Now, Israelis are tasting just a fraction of it—and perhaps, for the first time, beginning to understand what it means to be locked in by the decisions of your own government.
Iran has closed its airspace too, meaning civilians on both sides are trapped—Israeli and Iranian alike. Not because they chose war, but because their governments did.
This should be a violation of international law.
Israel attacked Iran—and then immediately declared a state of emergency within its own borders, knowing full well that retaliation was likely. Then it sealed the exits. It grounded all outbound flights. It told its people: you’re not going anywhere.
Now, tens of thousands of civilians—many of whom had no say in the decisions of their government—are trapped in a war zone they didn’t choose. They are not combatants. They are not military targets. But they’re being treated like pawns, held in place while the state escalates a regional war.
If any other nation did this—provoked a war, then prevented its citizens from fleeing—we’d call it what it is: reckless endangerment of civilians. Possibly even collective punishment.
Gaza has lived under this horror for generations. Now Israelis are getting a taste—and it’s not justice. It’s what happens when governments treat people as shields for their ambitions.
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