By Kouthar Sambo
As Palestine continues to battle the loss of over 40 000 people since the resistance group Hamas’ cross-border operation, today marks 365 days of the heightened aggression in Gaza by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) against Palestinians.
However, the atrocities committed at the hands of the IOF have continued over 70 years which has left several indigenous families deceased, displaced or stripped from their dignity.
Gift of Givers – the humanitarian crisis 365 days later
Speaking on VOC’s PM Drive show on Monday, the Founder of the humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers, Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, shared a moving story about the Israeli forces who targeted one of his top team members in Gaza, Ahmed Abbassi, who was also a pharmacist and headed most of the humanitarian projects in the region.
“Abassi informed one of the team members before his death, that he didn’t think he was going to make it. He did not want to abandon his people in the region and he decided he was not going to move from the Gaza Strip, even though evacuation orders were distributed,” explained Sooliman.
“He carried on with his distribution work and on the morning of 16 November (2023), after Fajr prayer, he was walking away from the Masjid when a rocket hit the Mosque, killing 25 people, he and his brother was part of that 25 people who was killed,” said Sooliman.
“Abbassi was a father of three, who was resolute and determined. He never gave up, he worked hard, and even when the bombs kept falling, he was determined to help his people as best he could as he served us for 40 years,” added Sooliman.
The Massacre of journalists and innocent civilians
“The Israeli occupation is killing journalists to kill the truth – thinking that killing them messenger will kill the truth. Israel has killed 175 Palestinian journalists since October 7 (2023), violating all international norms and laws that guarantee the right of the journalists to practice their profession,” said a journalist, Osama Nazzal, on VOC’s PM Drive show, who is based in Jenin, West Bank.
Nazzal further provided an update on the current situation as Israeli attacks grow at an exponential rate in Gaza and the West Bank.
“Every day Israel is killing hundreds of Palestinians and last week, Israle killed 20 Palestinians in Tulkarm City, northern occupied West Bank, but does this mean that Israel will achieve its goal of ending the Palestinian cause?” he challenged.
“Israel will never achieve the goal of ending the right to live and exist as Palestinians. Israel wants the peace of knowing it can rule and control all the Arab and world in the Middle East and wipe off any potential threat,” maintained Nazzal.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ): South Africa Vs Israel
South Africa brought Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 29 December 2023 for Israel’s ongoing atrocities committed against Palestinians. This comes after South Africa filed an application in the Registry of the Court instituting proceedings against the State of Israel.
“The court has made an interim decision and it has said that based on the information submitted to the ICJ by South Africa, it is plausible that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians,” explained Legal expert and a member of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC) Dominique Pereira.
Pereira further outlined some of the additional measures made by the ICJ in January, March, and May (2024).
According to Pereira, the following are relevant to note:
In the January order: Israel was ordered to take all measures within its power to prevent the killing of Palestinians in Gaza; to prevent the causing of serious bodily and mental harm to them, inflicting conditions to bring about their destruction; imposing measures to prevent births. Israel was also ordered to ensure that its military did not commit any of these acts. Israel was directed to prevent and punish public incitement to commit genocide and to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.
In the March order: Due to the surge of diseases in Gaza, especially conditions worsening by famine and starvation, the court handed down additional measures, saying Israel must allow access to basic services and to ensure its military does not commit any acts that could violate Palestinian rights. Despite this, Israel has continued its blockade of Gaza.
In May, South Africa requested and the court ordered that Israel must halt its military offensive in Rafah, open the Rafah crossing for humanitarian aid, and ensure access of journalists to the Gaza Strip.
“Israel has blatantly disregarded all of these measures. We also had this advisory opinion come to the fore and it was requested by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly,” said Pereira.
“The court held that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, comprising Gaza, West Bank including East Jerusalem, is unlawful. Israel was ordered to withdraw its troops and end its occupation while providing full reparations to Palestinians,” added Pereira.
*Feel free to listen further as he delves into the more detail on the ICJ case.
Lebanon under attack by Israel
Israel has expanded its ongoing aggressions to Lebanon, causing thousands to be displaced following an evacuation order issued in 25 villages in Lebanon.
According to the latest Palestinian reports, drone footage has circulated on social media, depicting the relentless bombardment by the Israeli occupation and the systematic detonation carried out by its forces, showcasing the decimation of Yaroun town in southern Lebanon.
Speaking on VOC’s PM Drive show on Monday, a journalist based in Beirut, Sara Talih Matar, said the latest data released on Friday evening, 4 October (2024), reveals that the number of martyrs has climbed to 2011 and over 9500 wounded.
“There are more than one million displaced persons distributed between shelters which are schools and universities, and people are staying at their friends or relatives’ homes while other displaced people are homeless, in the streets.”
“The Emergency Committee met today to discuss the humanitarian situation getting worse, as a result of the war that Lebanon is being subjected to. It is the violent bombardment every night, every minute as Israelis raid the southern suburbs of Beirut,” stressed Matar.
Hamas’ stance
“Under the theme Al-Aqsa Flood for Liberation, the resistance (Hamas) calls for a global solidarity stand with Gaza and Lebanon to condemn the aggression against our Palestinian people and the brotherly Lebanese people, and to participate in mass rallies and solidarity events on the first anniversary of the Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.”
This is according to the Palestinian resistance group Hamas. The statement follows activists, civil societies, and nations across the world expressing immense solidarity with Palestine and Lebanon.
“Together we unite the efforts in solidarity with our peoples in Palestine and Lebanon and reject the crimes of the occupation and its aggression.
Let the pressure intensify to halt the genocidal war being waged against our Palestinian people and to stop the brutal aggression also affecting the brotherly Lebanese people,” appealed the resistance
Photo: QudsNews [online]
