Israel’s reprehensible terror campaign in Gaza since the 7th of October 2023 represents a complete disregard for international law, human rights and human dignity, causing immeasurable suffering to the innocent population in that territory.
The war strikes people that have nowhere to hide. They are murdered, mutilated, displaced, starved and humiliated. It is a war where not even graves are left alone. Yes, Israel is reacting to a violent attack from Hamas, but how did Hamas come to life and why did they do this desperate action? Let’s not forget that this resistance group was born in an occupied land where, for decades, Israel has kept in captivity millions of Palestinians, destroying their present and robbing their future. What would you do if you would have nothing to loose, if you would see that your life is destroyed, bit by bit every day, and you would understand that your children have no hope to be free one day?
So far more than 30 000 people have been killed in Gaza, of which the vast majority are women and children. An uncountable number of people have been wounded and many are missing. Almost the entire population of Gaza has been forced to seek refuge in a land that has no more safe places to flee to. The situation is becoming worse every day.
Many have compared Gaza with a prison where nobody can get out. And while it is true that almost nobody can get out, a prison would infer that the inhabitants have committed a crime. This is not the case in Gaza, and therefore it would be more appropriate to compare Gaza to a concentration camp.
In addition to tens of thousands of innocent people being killed, Israel is conducting mass destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, cemeteries, and culturally significant and historical locations. Entire localities have been turned into rubble. It is clear that Israel's intention is to remove all the material and spiritual ties of the Palestinians to that land, with the hope that there will be nobody and nothing to come back to.
What is going on in Gaza is a desperate humanitarian crisis and a disaster for humanity. The situation is critical.
In the short term, we have to put pressure on Israel to stop the war, to turn the water and electricity back on and rally the international community to bring fuel, food, water, sanitation and medical help to Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants.
In the long term we have to talk about Israel’s illegal occupation, the brutal apartheid, the war crimes and the genocidal terror campaign. The hypocrisy of many countries in the world to not recognize these atrocities has been a hindrance for peace in this region for decades. Addressing these issues is the only way to build a good solution to this conflict and to bring long lasting peace and stability to the region.
The situation in Gaza is a true catastrophe!
