It’s been over a year since the beginning of the Israeli-Palestine war, which began after Hamas murdered roughly 1200 Israeli civilians, and soldiers on October 7th, 2023. According to the United Nations, since then over 44,000 Palestinians have been killed. According to the Vatican News, 70% of the victims were women and children. Of the children killed, 13,000 were under the age of 18, and 800 under the age of one. (1) The region is covered by journalists who bear witness to the unethical, and barbarous acts of torture and violence by Israeli forces. Gaza is the deadliest place to be a media worker, according to Reporters Without Borders. More than 130 reporters have been killed since the beginning of the war, and most were Palestinians. Gaza’s Media Office finds that an average of 4 journalists are killed each week. “When we lose a journalist, we lose our eyes and ears to the outside world. We lose a voice for the voiceless,” said Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights when speaking on behalf of World Press Freedom Day.
Israel expands control beyond Gaza, ordering attacks on Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Palestinians have fallen into a defenseless position as Israel continues to lay siege to Gaza. According to the Gaza Media Office, 162 health institutions have been destroyed by Israeli forces, including 131 ambulances. Leaving at least 114 hospitals, and medical centers inoperative, or unavailable to be used as a facility to locate shelter. More than 50,000 people have been violently expelled from their homes. Palestinians urgently seek safety in hospitals, and refugee camps are aware they face impending danger every hour of the day. According to Aljazeera, the Israeli Army has laid a siege to several Gaza Hospitals, imprisoning hundreds of people.
Palestinians have lost their human rights as Gaza, and the West Bank have become occupied by Israel forces. According to Aljazeera, over 75% of Gaza’s population has become ill from infectious diseases from exposure to raw sewage, and inadequate hygienic supplies. Over 15,000 people are facing chronic illness, or significant injuries and will need to travel outside of Gaza to receive proper treatment. (2) According to the SGR, an estimated 50 bombs are dropped on Gaza every hour, roughly one every minute. The Human Rights Euro-Med Monitor reported that Israel has dropped 25,000 tons of internationally banned chemical weapons over the Gaza Strip since October 7th. (3) The use of phosphorus chemicals result in third degree burns, and in some cases cause skin to melt due to immediate reaction to oxygen. The shrapnel fragments entered through the body cause internal explosions, and release poisonous toxins. Gaza already faces a shortage of medical resources and supplies. The residual effects from this type of warfare cause injuries that evade x-ray technology, making it harder to treat these traumas. Technological advancements in military weaponry have opened an uncharted territory for discussion on the ethical conduct of war. The Israeli Army is responsible for the extermination of the Palestinian people, and the destruction of Palestinian land.
(4) Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Director of Global Research said, “Under the cover of the relentless bombardment and atrocity crimes in Gaza, Israeli forces have unleashed lethal force against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, carrying out unlawful killings and displaying a chilling disregard for Palestinian lives”. In Gaza, those participating in peaceful protests cover their faces to evade the likelihood of being identified, to minimize the chances of their homes being destroyed, and their families targeted by an illegal army. Amnesty International stated that the Israeli Forces use unlawful violence during enforcement operations; propagating intimidation and trepidation in communities. The Israeli Army proceeds using violent conduct for those participating in protests, and rallies in solidarity with Gaza.
Abandoned piles of tear gas canisters, thousands of bullet shells litter the streets of Gaza, and the debris of perpetual war. Entire families have been exterminated under the rubble of their cities. Historical monuments, and holy spaces have been reduced to ash. The Palestinian soul is being destroyed alongside the destruction of their homes, and haunted by the remnants of human life. Palestinains fight to preserve what is left of their heritage, and their lives.
In April 2024, 300 bodies of young men and women were uncovered at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. The following month, a mass grave had been revealed at al-Shifa hospital. (5) According to the Gaza Media Office, the Israeli Forces are responsible for 520 people who have been buried in 7 mass graves. It was reported that patients waiting on hospital beds to receive medical treatments were placed over burned bodies; and some bodies were found dismembered and beheaded. One mass grave was unearthed in the grounds of a school in Beit LaHiya. We’re witnessing a jarring ethnic cleansing by an extremist military force.
Israel has exercised its abuse over Palestine with villainous disregard for human life. Human Rights Organizations have addressed Israel’s position in the conflict, and stipulated that the IDF has broken international laws. (6) Since 2019, the United States has given 38 billion dollars to Israel over the course of the next decade. In 2017, that number was 3.7 billion, averaging to about 10.41 million dollars a day. The new aid package has an increase of around 27 billion dollars per year. Over $10 million a day is spent supplying artillery, and military machinery that is being used by the Israeli army. Since the beginning of the war, that number has increased to 17.9 million. (7) Israel is by far the largest recipient of military aid from the United States since 1948– just three years after the end of World War II. The Israeli-Palestinian war is funded by the United States government, which provides access to these weapons.
We stand with Palestine.
(1) what-is-the-state-of-press-freedom-in-the-world-today
(2) https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/gaza-one-most-intense-bombardments-history
(3) Israels-unlawful-use-white-phosphorus-gaza
(5) https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2024/10/8/one-year-of-israels-war-on-gaza-by-the-numbers
(6) https://ifamericansknew.org/stat/38billion.html
(7) https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts
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