Motaher Hossain

In war-torn Gaza, the silence of global conscience in the face
of one of the most brutal humanitarian crises of our time is deafening. Despite relentless devastation, hardly anyone has
stood by the people of Gaza. Even though protests and demonstrations have been organized worldwide—including in Bangladesh—against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aggressive campaign, his government remains unmoved.

Netanyahu motives for waging war on Gaza are multifaceted: political, military, and strategic. Firstly, Israel
views Hama; frequent rocket attacks as a national security threat. In the aftermath of the major attack on October 7,
2023, Netanyahu declared his unwavering resolve to protect the Jewish state. Secondly, political pressures and maintaining support from his far-right coalition—many of whom advocate
a hardline stance on security—play a role. Netanyahu, facing corruption charges, has also been accused of using the war as a political shield. Thirdly, Israel aims to weaken Hamas and other militant factions to prevent future attacks. Additionally, such military campaigns often serve to rally national unity and distract public attention from internal issues. Lastly, the war strengthens Israel’s strategic position with international allies.
Despite global demonstrations calling for an end to the war—including from the United States—there has been little
meaningful action. Instead of pressuring Israel, U.S. officials like Donald Trump have suggested that Gazans flee to
neighboring countries. Bangladesh, on the other hand, has consistently stood for peace, opposing war and violence
globally. Both the government and its people have strongly condemned the war and called for a ceasefire.
In over a year and a half of Israeli assaults, nearly 70,000 Palestinians have been killed. Hospitals, meant to be sanctuaries, are not spared. Israel’s strikes on medical facilities have resulted in patients dying where they sought
treatment. Although temporary ceasefires have been brokered through Arab mediation, they have yielded little lasting
impact. The U.S. seems more intent on supporting Israel than bringing peace, further escalating the conflict. The role of the United Nations—the guardian of global
peace—has been disappointingly ineffective. Its responses
have been limited to generic statements and minimal aid. This
inaction mirrors the situation in war-torn Ukraine and Yemen. Historically, we’ve witnessed the same pattern: in Iraq, the U.S.-led coalition launched devastating attacks under the pretext of toppling Saddam Hussein, ultimately reducing a resource-rich country to rubble. Similarly, in Afghanistan,
under the guise of countering the Taliban, countless civilians
were killed, and the country was destabilized. In Saudi Arabia and Qatar, U.S. military bases were established under
strategic pretenses, often with an eye on oil and minerals. In Gaza, no one is safe—not women, children, nor the elderly. Hospitals, shopping malls, homes, factories—nothing is off- limits. The region now resembles ruins more than a livable place. Continuous assaults have stripped the Gazans of peace, sleep, and the right to die a natural death. For decades, Palestine has been a graveyard of global humanity, and today’s deadly Israeli assault only reinforces that truth. Palestinian resistance has a long history. Under Yasser Arafat's leadership, the struggle for an independent stategained international attention. After becoming chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1969, Arafat unified various Palestinian factions under a single banner. His group, Fatah, had already launched its first attack on Israel in 1965. The 1967 Six-Day War further intensified the Palestinian demand for independence. Recently, a heartfelt letter from Palestinian doctor Rifat Radwan to his mother stirred global emotion. Forgive me, Mother. I chose this path to help people," he wrote before being shot dead near an ambulance by Israeli forces. Fourteen emergency medical staff were executed—hands tied, shot at close range, despite wearing clear medical gear. Israel falsely claimed the ambulances were unmarked, but footage proved otherwise. It was a cold-blooded massacre.
Following the breakdown of ceasefires, conditions have worsened: no food, no fuel, no clean water.  bakeries have shut down, families are drinking sewage water and eating animal feed. Injured people bleed without treatment—most medical professionals are already dead. This is not warfare; this is annihilation. The UN has described it as a “limitless war.” There are no safe zones, no protected hospitals, no spared children—only a relentless campaign of destruction.
Fueled by nationalist zeal, Netanyahu has declared this war vital for “civilization,” portraying it as a fight to preserve Judeo-Christian values. But the current state in Gaza is suffocating: no medicine, no food, no shelter. With every passing day, Gaza risks being erased from the map. This once- inhabited land has become a graveyard, showing the world just how many lives it takes to protect a square mile of land in the age of modern nation-states.
Israel’s so-called "security buffer zone  are, in truth,calculated tools of ethnic cleansing. Now is the time for
global leadership to intervene. The world cannot afford to stand by. Humanity must rise.
The writer is a  journalist, general secretary Bangladesh Climate Change Journalists Forum