Mubashar Nadeem
The recent ceasefire between Iran and Israel may have spared the region a catastrophic war, but it has done little to stop Israel’s relentless and brutal military campaign in Gaza. The world, which was on high alert during the 12-day confrontation between Tehran and Tel Aviv, seems all too willing to return to silence now that the risk to global oil markets and the Strait of Hormuz has subsided. Yet, in Gaza, the suffering has only deepened.
Since late May, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed, many of them shot while trying to access food amid a humanitarian collapse. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ office has bluntly called out Israeli forces, stating: “The Israeli military must stop shooting at people trying to get food.” These are not isolated incidents—they form part of a systematic policy of collective punishment against the Palestinian population.
While US President Donald Trump declared “great progress” on a Gaza ceasefire during the NATO summit in The Hague, this optimism must be met with caution. Repeatedly, hopeful signals have emerged only to be quashed by Israel’s intransigence and continued acts of aggression. Since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, the Israeli response has gone far beyond any claim of self-defence. What we are witnessing is a calculated campaign of ethnic cleansing, disguised as a war on terror.
Please, subscribe to the YouTube channel of republicpolicy.com for quality content.
Israel’s backers in the West are quick to decry the repression faced by Iranians, real or exaggerated, under their clerical regime. But the same voices remain disturbingly muted when it comes to Israel’s mass killings, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and starvation tactics in Gaza. This is not just political bias—it is moral bankruptcy.
The hypocrisy is staggering. On Tuesday, President Trump used profanity to express his anger at Israel for breaching the Iran ceasefire. Yet, when it comes to Gaza, such outrage is nowhere to be found. The same firmness that brought Tel Aviv into line over Iran must now be used to halt its war crimes in Palestine.
The Iran-Israel ceasefire was rapidly implemented not out of humanitarian concern but because Iran’s threat to block the Strait of Hormuz terrified the global economic elite. Oil flows matter more to the international order than the lives of Palestinians, it seems. The global reaction to the Iran conflict—swift, coordinated, and firm—proves that the world has the tools to stop Israel, if only it has the will.
This moral double standard reveals a deeper rot in international diplomacy: economic interests trump human rights. When markets tremble, presidents intervene. When children starve or bleed, they issue cautious statements or worse—remain silent.
It is time for President Trump and Western allies to use the same influence they exercised to halt Iran-Israel hostilities to stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Temporary truces are not enough. A permanent ceasefire must be brokered and enforced, and those responsible for crimes in the occupied territories must be held accountable under international law.
Let it not be said that the world watched the massacre in Gaza with eyes wide open and did nothing. Peace without justice is just a pause in violence. The Gazan people deserve more than survival—they deserve dignity, freedom, and justice. The ceasefire with Iran has shown what is possible when the global powers choose action over apathy. Now, they must choose humanity in Gaza.
