Dear Editor,
THE ongoing massacre in Gaza, Palestine, has once again highlighted the stark and harrowing realities faced by Palestinians caught in an unending genocide. This is further underscored by the tragic deaths of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers, killed in an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) airstrike.

This incident, wherein aid workers were reportedly mistakenly targeted under the belief that they were Hamas operatives, compels us to confront an uncomfortable question: how many Palestinian lives have been brutally ended under the guise of mistaken identity?

These aid workers were pursued and killed; Israel claimed it was a mistake. Perhaps the first strike, but were the second and third also mere errors? Similarly, Palestinian youths are targeted and killed by Israeli snipers. Videos depict Palestinian youths attempting to collect airdropped US aid being systematically shot by Israeli snipers.

The characterisation by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as a source of “relentless death and destruction” is more than rhetorical. It reflects a grave reality where respect for international humanitarian law seems disregarded.

The numbers are staggering: in just six months, 4,348 children, 4,924 women, 757 elderly people, and 144 journalists have been killed. In total, over 32,000 lives have been lost.

This human toll is accompanied by the destruction of over 70,000 housing units and the displacement of more than two million people. And it should be noted that this war did not start on October 7, 2023, but rather, this has been the disastrous situation of Palestinians for over 70 years.

The recent UN report, “Anatomy of a Genocide,” by Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur about human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, offers a chilling assessment. It suggests that the pattern of violence and Israel’s policies during its operations in Gaza could meet the threshold for genocide.

This is a serious allegation based on an analysis that shows how the principles of “jus in bello” (or justice in war) have been intentionally distorted, with protective measures subverted to legitimise violence against Palestinians.

This grim scenario is exacerbated by the broader context of settler-colonialism and settler-violence and the erasure of the Indigenous Arab presence to establish Israel as a “Jewish state.” The acts of land confiscation, house demolitions, and denial of Palestinians’ right to self-determination are seen as part of a genocidal logic integral to Israel’s settler-colonial project in Palestine.

Amidst these developments, high-ranking Israeli officials have reportedly advocated for the ethnic transfer and expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza. Such statements, along with actions on the ground, underscore a chilling disregard for Palestinian rights and lives.

Palestinians are made refugees in their own land, facing starvation, with children dying from hunger and malnutrition, trapped in a cycle of violence and displacement with no end in sight. They are even forced to consume grass for sustenance.
Israel has severely restricted the entry of aid into Gaza and has prohibited even basic health supplies essential for hospitals to function, in addition to bombing and destroying almost all the hospitals in Gaza.

Currently, pregnant mothers undergo caesarean sections without anaesthesia, and babies die due to the lack of electricity for incubators, a situation exacerbated by Israel cutting off the power supply.

It is imperative for the international community to not only acknowledge these realities, but also to take concrete steps to address them. Respect for and protection of human rights must be paramount, with Israel held accountable to international standards. Silence and inaction signify complicity.

We must advocate for peace, justice, and a sustainable resolution that respects the rights and dignity of all Palestinians. The urgent need for a two-state solution, where Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side in peace and harmony, has never been more apparent. We must collectively demand an immediate end to the genocide in Palestine. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
Sincerely,
Shazad Sookram