Appalling bloodshed in Gaza continues

In the nearly two months since the attack by Hamas into southern Israel, the violence between Israel and Hamas has been unabated, particularly on the part of Israel with its use of disproportionate bombing of civilian facilities (schools, hospitals, residences, mosques) based on the claim that Hamas is embedded among the population. Except for the recent 4-day ceasefire negotiated in exchange for the release of prisoners captured during the initial invasion and massacre in communities near the borders, the onslaught of hostilities remains unabated. The Israel Prime Minister and his war cabinet have determined to “clean up Hamas inside Gaza” by thorough ethnic cleansing, giving Gazans only limited time to flee to Southern Gaza, or even to the Sinai Peninsula.

What are the motives of this violence? According to the Arabs, the Zionists have had a long history since Israel’s founding of apartheid against Palestinians. Even ardent Zionists admit that the two-state solution is primarily a delay tactic to allow Zionists to continue to invade the West Bank as “settlers” while taking over traditional Palestinian lands, even though it is against the law. By many accounts the apartheid is harsher than even in South Africa because of the number of atrocities.

Recent reports by watchdog reporters such as Vanessa Beeley include revelations that the new push to rid Gaza of its millions of residents is to make way either for new seaports or opening new refineries to develop vast offshore oil discoveries. The dominant hegemony can make use of the fungible supplies of oil and pipelines while creating new world order style of faux green sustainable gentrified urban communities for deserving and politically correct Arabs willing to conform and obey all the edicts of Israeli governance.

Another report by Hal Turner Radio Show reveals that the motive might be an envisioned new canal to cut through the area in an alternative to the Suez Canal to the Red Sea.

As discusssed by AGN previously in “Israel’s Jihad on Palestine” and revealed by PalestineCampaign.org, water supply had always been sparse and polluted. However since the new civil war began, Israel has cut off all water supplies to Gaza. Gazans fortunately have some hand-dug wells and also a desalination plant; however the bombing campaign has undoubtedly damaged access to basic water supply. In fact, to hound home that they mean business, Israelis invading forces last month already had taken up positions near vital water infrastructure.

According to NPR‘s report “Satellite images show Israeli forces hold ground around Gaza City’s water facilities” (November 10, 2023), researchers spotted the Israeli Defense Forces holing up around vital water treatment and sewage treatment plants. Damaging civilian infrastructure is against international law, however, because the Palestinian State is not officially recognized by the State of Israel, they will not abide by the Geneva Conventions.

“Water and sewage treatment has been mostly inoperable in Gaza for weeks, according to the Palestinian Water Authority. Fuel and electricity shortages led to the shutdown of wastewater and desalination facilities since mid-October, according to information on the authority’s Facebook page. Additionally, Palestinian officials say Israel’s extensive bombing campaign has damaged pipes and sewers throughout Gaza City.”

It is likely that Gazans not suffering the direct effects of bombing and drone warfare are afflicted with a host of bacterial related infections such as diarrhea, skin rash, lice, and other communicable diseases due to such limited access to fresh water. Due to the brackish water in the water wells, the Gazans may also suffer from ailments stemming from heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and eventually leading to neurological diseases, hypoxia, and elevated risks for diabetes, stroke, heart attack, clotting, and cancer.

While ostensibly the soldiers may not be harming the plant, chances are some kind of interference is ongoing, and especially because the government of Israel views Palestine not as a legitimate independent political entity, but as a rebel state needing totalitarian-style occupation.

Israel’s vow to root out Hamas is not limited to Gaza, however. Raids and attacks against Palestinians have also occurred on the West Bank, and also by Palestinians against West Bank settlers since the start of the most recent conflict. In fact, arguably the ceasefire was only observed for very limited periods—qualifiable as pauses—even when it had been negotiated. For instance, according to Beeley, the shelling continued in Gaza outside the hours of 10am to 4pm, certainly not enough time for the internal refugees to think collectedly about reconstructing their lives.

According to the Al Jazeera “Israeli-Gaza war” Live Tracker, as of December 4, 2023, the latest death toll stands at 15,777 Palestinians with at least 1,200 people killed in Israel since October 7, 2023. Even in Occupied West Bank, the figures are sobering with at least 254 killed, and 3,365 people injured. However by all accounts the figures last recorded by AGN from late October have more than doubled, from 89,000 homes damaged or destroyed to now over 300,000 residential units; from 164 educational facilities damaged to now 339 educational facilities damaged; from 19 places of worship damaged or destroyed to now a whopping 167 places of worship damaged. As for hospitals, the number of malfunctioning hospitals increased from 24 in October to 26 out of 35 hospitals not functioning. Note that the water sanitation facilities damaged is no longer even recorded, which can only mean that a great humanitarian disaster is unfolding, especially when coupled with the fact that very little water, food, and other supplies crosses the border into Gaza.

Given that often civilian facilities such as educational centers, worship places, and market plazas function as community gathering places, one can only imagine the trauma that the women and children are suffering without any sense of anchoring in place and time remaining. This forced immigration can only recall scenes from biblical times, or more recently in African nations wrought in turmoil such as in Rwanda.

Yet despite the suffering by Palestinians, by all accounts the Israeli settlements inside of the West Bank and East Jerusalem has tripled over the past three decades, from 250,000 in 1993 to 700,000 in 2023. The settlers often use violent means to evict the farmers and seal off their farming communities, shutting down access roads to mosques, and limiting access to water. The wall between the West Bank and Israel proper to protect Israelis from occupied territories has an astonishing number road obstacles and checkpoints, literally in the hundreds. To police the 700 road obstacles and man the 140 checkpoints undoubtably requires an active standing army inside the occupied West Bank (about 46 miles square). This is what Gazans can look forward to in the future, if they are allowed back inside their territory. Even if the Gaza Strip has been under siege since 2007, it formerly consisted of identifiable subquarters: North Gaza, Gaza City, Deir el-Balah, Khan Younis, Rafah.

Now thanks to the return of Prime Minister Netanyahu and his Zionist reactionary defense ministers, all the people of Gaza, about 2 million, are being asked to squeeze into Khan Younis and Rafah, or else cross into the Sinai Peninsula, an inhospitable desert. From Israel’s early history, they know what this means, this living in the desert, so no wonder that countries and people around the world are protesting the ongoing genocide.