Gaza: United Nations says Israel is causing famine and Israeli army report says 83% of civilian casualties out of total

Two facts have come to the forefront in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian population of Gaza. These are two significant facts that global public opinion should take due account of and seek appropriate responses toward Tel Aviv. The first is the official United Nations declaration of famine in the Gaza Strip, the first in the Middle East, despite its severe history of military disasters. According to the United Nations, as many as 514,000 people, a quarter of the population, are facing food shortages, with the figure projected to reach as many as 641,000 by the end of September. The unique feature of the Gaza famine is that it is not due to meteorological or health factors, but entirely man-made, namely, the actions of the Israeli army. This humanitarian disaster could have been avoided if Tel Aviv had not systematically obstructed aid sent to Gaza’s borders. The Israeli action is even more serious because it is part of a precise plan to weaken civilians, as the Palestinian population must be eradicated by any means from the Strip. The ultra-Orthodox Jewish government’s desire to annex Gaza is, unfortunately, shared by much of the Israeli public. Despite the presence of massive food shipments at the border, Israel’s behavior remains unchanged. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights holds the Israeli government directly responsible, classifying starvation deaths as war crimes of voluntary manslaughter. This consideration introduces the second relevant fact, which concerns the issue. According to a secret report by the Israeli military, the number of civilian victims of the Gaza war is 83% of the total. As can be seen from this data, the low number of combatant casualties suggests a deliberate planning of the Palestinian genocide, so much so that it can be compared to the massacres in Rwanda and the Mariupol massacre. The combination of enforced starvation and deaths from military activity clearly defines the intentions of Netanyahu and his government regarding the Palestinians: to annihilate as many of them as possible in order to create the conditions for their deportation from the Strip. Moreover, a recent survey revealed that a full 79% of the Israeli population supports the indiscriminate repression of the Palestinian population, whom they consider an abusive occupier unworthy of human dignity. Netanyahu, of course, denies these data, or at most justifies them by citing Hamas’s actions against his own citizens. However, the Israeli prime minister’s mindset remains the same: to lie shamelessly and buy time to achieve his goals, constantly accusing anyone who contradicts him of being anti-Semitic and rejecting any interpretation different from his own and that of his government. Regardless of political views and obvious Israeli motivations, the lack of response to these crimes perpetrated against innocent civilians of all ages will remain an indelible stain on every country in the world, but even more so on Western democracies, which have revealed themselves as empty and absent when it comes to defending international law and defenseless populations from the most abhorrent violence, from whatever side it comes. Only recently have condemnations arrived, for their own sake, and even the recognition of the Palestinian state, which is expected to be in large numbers at the next United Nations General Assembly, is an exercise devoid of practical consequences. Israel must be increasingly isolated, its violence must be contained by all means, and the start is heavy sanctions that must affect an economy lacking its own resources. Europe must do at least this, trying to trigger a reaction in other countries as well, especially Arab ones. Certainly, this will require a reaction from Trump, but a consistent blockade capable of isolating Tel Aviv could be a belated but effective deterrent.