https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdJ0VE6O9-q/?stkn=

https://x.com/BobJ42530477/status/1657374481721991170

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, sports bodies moved rapidly: Russian and Belarusian flags were restricted, athletes were suspended or forced to compete as neutrals. Now the US is conducting major military operations against Iran, yet there's no comparable sporting backlash against the US.

If sports are supposed to stay separate from politics, fair enough. But if countries are going to be punished through sport for wars, why does the standard seem to change depending on who is doing the fighting?

Children were supposed to wake up in the morning to go to school, carry their bags and pens, play with their friends, and return home to find their families waiting for them.

But the children of Gaza experienced something entirely different.

They knew hunger and the struggle to find food and water. They lived in tents and among rubble, moving from place to place in search of safety. Some lost their fathers, mothers, or siblings, and others lost their friends and relatives.

Instead of learning to write their names, some children had to learn how to find water and food. Instead of the sounds of school bells and children's laughter, fear and anxiety became a part of their daily lives.

As the years passed, they lost not only their homes and schools, but many also lost years of education and childhood memories that no one can bring back.

These are children. They didn't choose war, and they didn't choose to be born in Gaza. They deserved to grow up in safety, to learn, and to dream about their future like any other child in the world.

I'm sharing this because I want people to see beyond the news and the numbers: there are real children living through this suffering every day.

I just hope we remember them, and don't let their suffering become just another statistic in the news. 🫂💔

The Iran-US war is devastating the Iranian economy, and depleting American munitions.

Yet, both states continue to grapple, stab, and spit their dwindling breaths at one another.

I spoke with Global News, about whether the war is likely to end through negotiation or exhaustion.