How would you feel if you were experiencing the hardships in Gaza? Take action now to stop Genocide in that ‘open-air prison’
How would you feel if you were experiencing the hardships in Gaza? Take action now to stop Israel’s Genocide in that ‘open-air prison’
Today, unequivocal condemnation of Israel’s war crimes in Gaza must be the first priority.
People around the world must observe that it is their moral duty to strongly condemn the Zionist Regime for committing mass genocide across the Gaza Strip, and take all measures to prevent the continuation of the appalling war crimes against civilian Palestinians, particularly in the South. There is certainly no justification for the death and destruction Israel has inflicted on the Gaza population in the past five months.
The Zionist regime has been relentlessly pounding the Gaza Strip since last October, destroying civilian infrastructure, cultural properties, and residential buildings, and brutally torturing and massacring the innocent civilians under the world’s gaze, showing no intention to stop. In other words, to realize Yoav Gallant’s words, Israel’s army is using all its tools to ‘eliminate everything’ in Gaza. Israel’s military has dropped tens of thousands of bombs on Gaza, and numerous local and international authorities as well as credible NGOs have affirmed that the scale and scope of humanitarian destruction is really unprecedented. Almost all civilian infrastructures in Gaza have been demolished, including power plants, water supplies and public health facilities, and the majority of residential buildings have been completely destroyed (many on residents) or rendered uninhabitable; and as a result, over 80 percent of the population in the ‘besieged Strip’ have been forcibly displaced, the majority of whom pushed and cramped into Rafah and nearby areas in the South where they are bombed by Israel’s forces on a daily basis.
According to local and international organizations and institutions, over 30000 people have been killed, more than 70,000 have been wounded, and about 7000 are missing as a result of Israel’s offensive so far, mostly children and women and some by deadly chemical weapons. The reports also indicate that, in the chaos, the Zionist regime has been intentionally targeting and killing Palestinian scientists and destroying universities and cultural heritage across the Gaza Strip. Israel’s army has murdered over 90 university professors, as well as many more teachers and students in Gaza so far. In addition, there are reports of deliberate targeting of journalists and their families by Israeli military. Over 100 journalists have been killed amid Israel’s attacks since the start of war on Gaza.
Moreover, almost all people in Gaza are deprived of basic human needs, including water, food, fuel, electricity, and medical care due to the total siege imposed by Israel. The Zionist regime, based on official reports, is using starvation as weapon of war against people in Gaza by blocking access to food and water resources and deliberately destroying reservoirs, food stores, bakeries, farmlands, fisheries, as well as vehicles carrying foodstuff. According to the UN, most Gazans cannot find enough clean water to drink and 9 out of 10 have to go without food for extended periods of time. In addition, scarcity of sanitary water has led to the spread of infectious diseases. As a consequence, a number of children die from dehydration, malnutrition, and various diseases every day.
Indeed, there is clear evidence that Israel is committing ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip. As part of the long-held plan of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians, Israeli authorities have repeatedly stated that they aim to forcibly expel the Gazans into northern Sinai in Egypt, and have acted accordingly by unrelenting air, sea, and ground offensive and creating a state of great fear and insecurity everywhere in the besieged territory.
Despite the fact that official and independent journalists, as well as local citizens, have constantly documented and reported these heinous war crimes by Israel since early October 2023, and in spite of the calls by diverse actors for an immediate cessation of the widespread atrocities taking place across the Gaza Strip, the international community has failed to stop the Israeli war machine, mainly due to the fact that the Zionist Regime has been unconditionally supported by the United States and its close allies, and also because the majority of states and international organizations have remained silent or followed a double standard in relation to the continuing cycle of brutal violence against civilians in Gaza.
As there appears to be no genuine intention on the part of the powerful states, most notably the United States and others in the Global North, to stop Israel’s genocidal campaign, I would like to challenge all people around the world who have a voice in their country and/or in the international arena, particularly the leaders and other high-ranking government officials who have supported the Zionist regime, failed to take effective action against Israel over the recent war crimes, or otherwise, remained silent regarding the humanitarian catastrophes in Gaza, to ponder over the following questions for a while:
How would you feel if you lived in Gaza experiencing the same hardships?
if your dears were killed or badly injured in front of you and there was no help available?
If you were forced out of your house and had no safe place to stay, nothing to eat, and nobody to protect you?
If you observed innocent children pleading for their lives or food but you could do nothing for them?
Accordingly, condemning the acts of genocide committed by Israel, people around the globe must urge their governments to force the Zionist Regime to end the unrelenting attacks on civilian Palestinians. They must also strongly condemn the states that support Israel, particularly the US and England, and ask their governments to stop fanning the flames of war and take immediate and effective action to prevent further war crimes against innocent Palestinians in Gaza, in the West Bank, and elsewhere. In addition, all Islamic states are obliged by their religion to promptly address this grave issue and collectively take effective steps, cut ties with the state of Israel, for example, to ease the suffering of Palestinians, prevent escalation of the conflict and ensure peace in the region.
Akbar Fijani: An Iranian University Instructor
Feb. 29, 2024
Bibliography
https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1654742
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/unrwa-statement-unga-4mar24/
https://truthout.org/articles/un-human-rights-expert-says-israel-is-committing-genocide-in-gaza/
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/this-is-the-state-of-gazas-hospitals-special-report/
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-israel-killing-academics-educide-campaigners-say
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/1/un-experts-condemn-disturbing-attacks-on-journalists-in-gaza
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231223-israel-uses-starvation-as-a-weapon-of-war-in-gaza/
https://www.globalresearch.ca/conscious-unconscionable-starving-gaza/5851072