Md. Zillur Rahaman

Israel has been carrying out unprecedented destruction and genocide on the Gaza Strip for almost five months under the pretext of a sudden attack by Hamas on October 7. What Israel is doing in Gaza in the name of self-defense is not an ordinary war but a planned genocide. Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is a clear violation of international law and Israel has no regard for international law. Killing thousands of civilians including children, razing houses to the ground, indiscriminate killing by attacking hospitals and medical centers, blocking food supply are prime examples of genocide. There is no structure in Gaza that is neither affected nor intact. Israel's defense minister recently said the Israeli army will attack all of Gaza City and the northern part of the Gaza Strip until all Hamas infrastructure is completely destroyed.

Even as global protest and public opinion stand against their indiscriminate bombing, the United States (US) has from the beginning provided unconditional support and military support to Netanyahu's aggressive forces for genocide. The Biden administration is supporting Netanyahu to continue the genocide in Gaza by leveraging US influence over the United Nations (UN), including billions of dollars in arms and diplomatic support.

The Israelis have killed at least 30,000 people and wounded 70,000 in Gaza about five month long war. According to the latest data, among the 30,000 killed, 12,300 were children and 8,400 were women. Military analysts believe that the damage caused by Israeli bombardment in the northern and southern parts of Gaza is equivalent to at least 3 nuclear bombs. Despite the widespread public opinion against Israeli genocide in almost every major city in Europe and America and around the world, the US administration has repeatedly confirmed its strong position in favor of Israel's war crimes and genocide regardless of public opinion. Ending the occupation requires the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian territories and the destruction of illegal structures built on occupied land.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recently called the Israeli attack on Palestinian Gaza a "genocide". The Brazilian leader said this in response to reporters' questions after a recent summit meeting of the African Union, and the news was published by the Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency on February 18, quoting Brazilian local media. He said, what is going on in the Gaza Strip is not an ordinary war, it is a 'genocide'. What is happening to the Palestinian people in Gaza is unprecedented in history. In fact, nothing is happening in Gaza except for the German policy adopted by Hitler to exterminate the Jews. He further said, "This is not a war against a warrior, but a planned aggression by an armed force against civilian women and children." However, the Zionist state of Israel has reacted with extreme anger and in response, Israel has been throwing various phrases including unwanted declarations to the President of Brazil.

The Zionist state has always violated human rights with the support of the world's most influential countries, including the US. The US has sided with the country in recent Israeli massacres, and so have its Western media and allies. Warlord Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, known as the butcher of the Middle East, has indulged in a hellish massacre in Gaza, Palestine. Despite the global storm of protest and condemnation, it is not heeded at all. UNICEF says at least one bomb is being dropped every 10 minutes. Not a single place in Gaza is safe. Gaza's health ministry says Israel's barbaric bombardment has flooded hospitals with bodies. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has expanded its offensive across Gaza to destroy Hamas bases in Gaza.

According to the Geneva Convention, attacks on religious institutions, educational institutions and other civilian establishments are strictly prohibited. But Israel says Hamas fighters are sheltering in or around the buildings, that is why the Israeli forces have made these buildings targets and committed genocide. The Israeli army has completely wiped out 908 families in Gaza, meaning that no members of these families who were victims of Israeli brutality are left alive.

Not only that, but this time, the barbaric Israeli army entered Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza on November 15 and committed a massacre! Patients, women and newborn children were not spared from them. However, it has been published in the international media that the US has encouraged Israel to carry out this attack. The charity Save the Children says a child dies every 10 minutes in Gaza. Also, one out of every three people injured is a child. Meanwhile, according to the UN, nearly 9,700 civilians have died since Russia's full-scale military operation in Ukraine began 21 months ago. As such, Israel has killed more Palestinian civilians in just one month than Russia has killed in Ukraine since February 2022. In total, at least 2.3 million people in Gaza are facing an extreme humanitarian crisis. The UN says no place in Gaza is safe, even as everyone moves south to escape the brutal, infernal massacres and destruction.

On the other hand, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court of the UN, located in The Hague, Netherlands, following the call of the UN General Assembly, a hearing is underway on the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel. More than 50 countries and 3 organizations are scheduled to present arguments in this hearing. However, South Africa's case in the ICJ against Israel's genocide in Gaza is not connected with this hearing.

At the hearing, the US argued on behalf of Israel that it must guarantee Israel's security before taking any legal action to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories. In the hearing, Bangladesh argued that Israel's killing of thousands of civilians, including children, the destruction of their homes, and the blocking of food and water supplies in the occupied Palestinian territories are examples of ethnic cleansing. Consideration should be given to further UN action to end the Israeli occupation of the area. In addition to this, immediate measures must be taken to stop Israel's racism against Palestinians. Israel's ongoing operation in Gaza is an extreme example of the shameful catastrophe of modern times. As the shortage of food, water, fuel and medicine is constantly increasing, there is a threat of humanitarian disaster in that small territory of 2.3 million people.

It is surprising that the US, which accuses many countries of the world of human rights violations, advises people about democracy and human rights, instead of condemning the indiscriminate killing of innocent people in Palestine by shooting birds and dropping bombs from airplanes, instead patronized Israel on their behalf. The UN has given initial instructions to both sides to remain calm. Barbaric Israel doesn't matter much. It continues to kill unarmed and innocent Palestinians and raze various buildings to dust by continuing to fire and airstrikes. Their indifference to such barbaric attacks on unarmed Palestinians has shocked the world. Such brutality is considered incredible in this age.

The UN Security Council has several times proposed a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, but each move has failed due to US opposition and vetoes. The Arab League described the incident as giving Israel a license to massacre Palestinians. A few days ago, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) located in The Hague, Netherlands, ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza, and Israel was instructed to report to the ICJ within one month what measures were taken after the court's order. Israel and its close ally America are paying no heed to the storm of protest and condemnation all over the world.

The hellish genocide that Israel is carrying out on unarmed people, including women and children, is due to the connivance of its allies, including the US. Most of the Western media are following the same policy. Their allies and puppet human rights organizations are pretending not to see the barbarity of Israel, their conscience and the true nature of so-called human rights is now being exposed! Their conscience is now troubled by the song of genocide, the speech of so-called human rights is nothing but a bully doll!

The writer is a Banker and Columnist