The death toll from the ongoing genocide perpetrated by Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip has tragically reached 40,265, with approximately 100,000 others wounded, the majority of whom are women and children.
For 321 consecutive days, Israel has continued its brutal campaign against the people of Gaza, launching relentless airstrikes, artillery shelling, and committing massacres amidst a dire humanitarian crisis. In just the past 24 hours, medical sources in Gaza have reported that Israeli forces have committed four new massacres, slaughtering 42 civilians and injuring 163 others.
Ambulance and civil defence crews are overwhelmed and unable to recover the bodies of thousands of civilians trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Israeli occupation forces are systematically reducing liveable spaces and displacing residents, forcing around 100,000 citizens in Dir Al Balah yesterday to flee their homes. They have also shut down 20 shelters after demanding the evacuation of additional neighbourhoods, further overcrowding areas in the west of the city.
Once considered a “safe humanitarian area,” 11 percent of Gaza is now home to nearly 90 percent of the Strip’s residents due to the escalating violence, which has crippled the provision of essential services. Humanitarian institutions and facilities are being rendered inoperative, leaving no safe spaces for civilians. All of Gaza’s children have been exposed to the horrors of war, trauma that will have lasting effects on their lives.
Approximately 1.9 million people - around 90% of Gaza’s population - are estimated to have been internally displaced, almost half of them children. The people in the Gaza Strip lack adequate access to water, food, fuel, and medicine.
Their homes have been destroyed, their families torn apart, and many have been displaced multiple times, losing homes, parents, and loved ones. Urgent protection is needed for these children and the remaining services they depend on, including medical facilities and shelters.
Despite these atrocities, the international community remains largely indifferent. The UN Security Council convenes only to disperse after hearing conflicting speeches, without addressing the root causes or providing meaningful solutions. This apathy is a longstanding pattern when it comes to the rights and suffering of the People of Palestine.
How long will the international community and its institutions continue to neglect the Palestinian people and ignore their suffering in the face of this genocidal war? It is a legal, humanitarian, and moral responsibility that challenges the very credibility of human rights organizations and international bodies established to uphold peace and security.
Unfortunately, instead of forcing the Israeli occupation to respect international humanitarian laws, the great powers are still providing it with political cover and military protection, which encourages Israel to commit more war crimes.
