A.M.M.MUZAMMIL
COLOMBO : The death toll in the conflict, which began on October 7th, has now surpassed over 9,800 people, including 4,900 children. Seventy percent of the victims of this aggression are children, women, and elderly people.
Topographically, Gaza is situated on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a narrow strip covering 365 square kilometers with an impoverished population of 2.3 million.
In the Six-Day War, which is also referred to as the Arab-Israeli War, Israel forcefully gained control of the Gaza Strip, transforming it into a significant open-air confinement area. Gaza is akin to an ‘Auschwitz-type concentration camp,’ where nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced, and half of the population resides in refugee camps under extremely challenging circumstances.
Their lands were ruthlessly seized, their means of sustenance cruelly eradicated, and their homes reduced to rubble through relentless air strikes. For more than a quarter of a century, these dispossessed individuals have endured lives marred by poverty and devoid of hope. Their sole transgression? Simply being born as Palestinians.
The establishment of Israel in 1948 marked the beginning of the ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and statelessness of Palestinians. Israel not only occupied Palestinian territories through military force but also displaced a significant number of Palestinians, who sought refuge in neighboring countries.
Since October 7th, Israel has conducted as many as 500 airstrikes a day and dropped over 10,000 bombs on unarmed Gazans. This is almost the number of bombs the U.S. used in Afghanistan in one year. Israel mercilessly bombed the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, killing at least 500 people, including medical staff and patients.
Hospitals are overwhelmed with patients, and over 25,000 injured people are being treated at hospitals without basic necessities. Most surgeries are performed without local and general anesthesia
Over a million people have been internally displaced, and they are starving to death. Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war against Gaza civilians.
Jabalia refugee camp is the largest refugee camp in war-torn Gaza, with over 116,000 registered refugees. Israel has bombarded the camp twice, resulting in the deaths of over 200 innocent civilians. This is indeed an act of war crime.”
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths has strongly criticized the Israeli air strikes, stating that “the world seems unable, or unwilling, to act.” Even UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is appalled by the escalating violence in Gaza and is calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
The UN General Assembly recently adopted a resolution, drafted by Jordan, with a vote of 120 in favor, 14 against, and 45 abstentions. The resolution calls for humanitarian truces leading to a cessation of hostilities.
The United States was among a group of 14 countries in the United Nations General Assembly that voted against the resolution. Now, there is an overwhelming international condemnation of Israeli brutality against innocent Palestinian civilians, especially women and children, spreading across the globe.
Even former President Barack Obama has encouraged people to put themselves in the shoes of the Palestinian people to better understand their plight.
Bolivia has severed diplomatic ties with Israel, citing ‘crimes against humanity’ Turkey, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is exploring ways to bring Israel’s actions against Palestinian civilians before the International Criminal Court.
Israel has subjugated and occupied Palestinian territories for 56 years. The supreme irony lies in the fact that Israelis, who were once subjected to pogroms and victims of a genocide less than 90 years ago, are now callously engaging in similar acts in Gaza without a hint of remorse.
People living under oppressive conditions have the inherent right to resist an apartheid regime, and Palestinians, like any other people, have the right to self-defense. In this context, Gaza militants launched an attack against the state of Israel in October 7th, showcasing their operational competence by shattering the myth of Israel’s invincibility.
Israel is pursuing acts that many describe as genocide and a scorched earth policy, specifically targeting women and children most inhumanly with the intention of wiping out the next generation. Shockingly, a child in Gaza is being killed every 15 minutes due to Israel’s relentless aerial bombardments. Now, Gaza is turning into a ‘graveyard of children.’ This is a situation worse than the “Holocaust.”
The Israel does not care about morality and humanity. They are seen as masters in deception and hypocrisy. In reality, a small percentage of Jews in the USA, around 2%, are not only believed to have significant influence over the White House and the US Congress but also the US President, who unconditionally supports Israel, allowing them to commit aggressions and war crimes with impunity.
The Israeli government is mercilessly suffocating the traumatized Gaza people who have been enduring untold misery and mental agony for a month without access to water, food, medicine, and electricity. Adding insult to injury, an Israeli minister went so far as to suggest the possibility of dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza. This prompts the question of where in the world such inhumane cruelty against unarmed civilians can ever be justified.”
With due apology, may I rephraseOh, Holocaust! Oh, Holocaust! What wrongs have the Palestinians endured in your shadow.
