Editorial
Israel’s decision to resume its assault on Gaza after a brief truce was hardly surprising. The truce had only allowed Israel to exchange some of its captives for Palestinian prisoners, but it did not stop its ambition to occupy and cleanse the entire Strip of its native population.
Israel quickly expanded its attack to the south of Gaza, where it had previously told the residents of the north to flee to, claiming that it was a safe zone. But there was no safety for the Palestinians, who faced Israeli bombs and bullets wherever they went.
Israel now controls most of the north of Gaza, and is targeting the south, where it believes the Hamas leadership and the remaining captives are hiding. It has no regard for the human rights or dignity of the Palestinians, who are being killed, injured, and displaced by the thousands.
The latest Israeli offensive has killed more than 700 Palestinians and wounded more than 15,500, most of them women, children, and medics. The world watches in horror, but does little to stop the carnage, as the US continues to shield Israel from any accountability or criticism at the UN Security Council and elsewhere.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk says that Gaza is a living hell, where hundreds of thousands of people are trapped in overcrowded and unsanitary shelters, with no safe place to go. He could have added that Israel’s intention is to drive out or exterminate the Palestinians from Gaza, and prevent them from ever resisting its occupation and oppression.
Israel’s so-called Iron Dome defense system was exposed as a myth by the Hamas rockets that reached Tel Aviv and other cities on October 7, 2023. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have continued to fire rockets into Israel, despite the overwhelming Israeli firepower and destruction.
Israel faces a dilemma: it may be winning the military battle, but it is losing the political and moral war. Its atrocities are being witnessed and condemned by millions of people around the world, who are demanding justice and freedom for the Palestinians.
Its unconditional ally, US President Joe Biden, may also pay a heavy price for his blind support of Israel’s genocide, as he faces a strong challenge in the 2024 presidential election. Israel’s aggression is not limited to Gaza. It has also arrested 60 Palestinians in the West Bank, adding to the 3,000 it had detained since October 7.
During the truce, Israel had arrested as many Palestinians in the West Bank as it had released in exchange for its captives. Israel’s lies and hypocrisy are as evident as its brutality and barbarism.
Israel is now threatening to kill Hamas leaders wherever they are, in Gaza, Lebanon, Turkiye, Qatar, or elsewhere. But the more Israel kills and oppresses, the more it isolates and weakens itself.
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