chapotraphouse

Notable comment on that post:

At the risk of doxxing myself, the two names that are public so far are Zomi Frankcom and Damian Sobòl. I know those people. They were truly wonderful. They were smart, kind, selfless, and determined to give of themselves for people they had never met. They put in long, difficult hours for a lot less money than they could make in the private sector, and they were happy to do it because their cause is just. It's a simple proposition — people need food. Giving food to people who don't have it is the right thing to do, always. And for that they were murdered.

I cannot begin to describe the grief of their colleagues and their friends. Everyone I've spoken to is gutted by the senseless murder of people who wanted nothing more than to make the world a happier, healthier place. Everyone knows that working in dangerous parts of the world is risky. They took all the precautions anyone could have taken. They were in armored cars, they wore body armor, they were in a deconflicted zone, the cars were clearly and obviously marked as humanitarian, and they were in constant contact with the IDF to make sure they couldn't be mistaken for combatants. And they were murdered, anyway.

I'm not entirely sure why I'm writing, other than to let our community know how wonderful these humanitarians are and how much good they brought to the world. It's important to me that no one can call them reckless, call them extremists, or try to paint what happened as in any way their fault. Because it isn't. They were good people doing a difficult job in the worst circumstances. They took every precaution one could reasonably take. And without the work they do, more people will suffer and die needless deaths. I lack the words to tell what a loss this is for the world, how much dimmer the planet is without their light. Rest in power, chefs.