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A Palestinian's Year in Review: Genocide in Gaza
While Israel's desperate attempt to control the global narrative on the Gaza genocide largely failed, the ethnic cleansing continues.
Dec 30, 2024
The story of the Israeli war on Gaza can be epitomized in the story of the Israeli war on Beit Lahia, a small Palestinian town in the northern part of the Strip.
When Israel launched its ground operations in Gaza, Beit Lahia was already largely destroyed due to many days of relentless Israeli bombardment which killed thousands.
Still, the border Gaza town resisted, leading to a hermetic Israeli siege, which was never lifted, even when the Israeli military redeployed out of much of northern Gaza in January 2024.
Beit Lahia is largely an isolated town, a short distance away from the fence separating besieged Gaza from Israel. It is surrounded mostly by agricultural areas that make it nearly impossible to defend.
Yet, a year of grisly Israeli war and genocide in Gaza did not end the fighting there. To the contrary, 2024 has ended where it started, with intense fighting on all fronts in Gaza, with Beit Lahia, a town that was supposedly 'conquered' earlier, still leading the fight.
Beit Lahia is a microcosm of Israel's failed war in the Strip, a bloody grind that has led nowhere, despite the massive destruction, the repeated ethnic cleansing of the population, the starvation and the genocide. Every day of Israel's terrible war on the Palestinians serves as a reminder that there are no military solutions and that the Palestinian will cannot be broken, no matter the cost or the sacrifice.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, remains unconvinced. He entered the new year with more promises of 'total victory', and ended it as awanted criminal by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The issuing of an arrest warrant for the Israeli leader was a reiteration of a similar position taken by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the start of 2024.
The ICJ's position, however, was hardly as strong as many had hoped or wanted to believe. The world's highest court had, on January 26,ordered Israel “to take action to prevent acts of genocide”, but stopped short of ordering Israel to halt its war.
The Israeli objectives of the war remained unclear, although Israeli politicians provided clues as to what the war on Gaza was really all about. Last January, several Israeli ministers, including 12 from Netanyahu’s Likud party, took part in a conference calling for the resettlement of Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. “Without settlements, there is no security,” extremist Israeli minister of finance, Bezalel Smotrich, said.
For that to happen, the Palestinian people themselves, not merely those fighting on the ground, had to be tamed, broken and defeated. Thus, the 'flour massacres', a new Israeli war tactic that was centered around killing as many Palestinians as possible while waiting for the few aid trucks that were allowed to reach northern Gaza.
On February 29, more than 100 Gazans were killed whilequeueing for aid. They were mowed down by Israeli soldiers, as they desperately tried to lay their hands on a loaf of bread, baby milk or a bottle of water. This scene was repeated, again and again in the north, but also in other parts of the Gaza Strip throughout the year.
The aim was to starve the Palestinians in the north so that they would be forced to flee to other parts of the Strip. Famineactualized as early as January, and many of those who tried to flee south werekilled, anyway.
From the early days of the war, Israel understood that to ethnically cleanse Palestinians, they must target all aspects of life in the Strip. This includes hospitals, bakeries, markets, electric grids, water stations, and the like.
The Gaza hospitals, of course, received a large share of Israeli attacks. In March, once more, Israelattacked the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City with greater ferocity than before. When it finallywithdrew, on April 1, the Israeli army destroyed the entire compound,leaving behind mass graves with hundreds of bodies, mostly medical staff, women and children. They evenexecuted several patients.
Aside from a few statements of concern by western leaders, little was done to bring the genocide to an end. Only when seven international aid workers with the charity, the World Central Kitchen, werekilled by Israel, a global outcry followed, leading to the first and only Israeliapology in the entire war.
Desperate to distract from its failure in Gaza, but also Lebanon, and keen on presenting the Israeli public with any kind of victory, the Israeli military began escalating its war beyond Gaza. This included thestrike on the Iranian Embassy in Syria on April 1. Despite repeated attempts, whichincluded the assassination in Iran of the head of Hamas's Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, on July 31, an all-out regional war has not yet come to pass.
Another escalation was taking place, this time not by Netanyahu but by millions of people around the world, demanding an end to the Israeli war. A focal point of the protests were student movements that spread across US campuses and, ultimately, worldwide. Instead of allowing free speech to flourish, however, America's largest academic institutionsresorted to the police, who violently shut down many of the protests, arresting hundreds of students, many of whom were not allowed to return to their colleges.
Meanwhile, the US continued to block international efforts aimed at producing a ceasefire resolution at the United Nations Security Council. Ultimately, on May 31, US President Joe Bidendelivered a speech conveying what he termed an “Israeli proposal” to end the war. After some delay, Hamasaccepted the proposal, but Israelrejected it. In his rejection, Netanyahureferred to Biden's speech as “incorrect” and “incomplete”. Strangely, but also unsurprisingly, the White Houseblamed the Palestinians for the failed initiative.
Losing faith in the American leadership, some European countries began changing their foreign policy doctrines on Palestine, with Ireland, Norway and Spainrecognizing the State of Palestine on May 28. The decisions were largely symbolic but indicated that western unity around Israel was faltering.
Israel remained unfazed and, despite international warnings,invaded the Rafah area in southern Gaza on May 7, seizing control of the Philadelphi Corridor - a buffer zone between Gaza and the Egyptian border that extends for 14 kilometers.
Netanyahu's government insisted that only war can bring their captives back. There was very little success in that strategy, however. On June 8, Israel, with logistical support from the US and other western countries managed to rescue four of its captives held in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. To do so, Israelkilled at least 276 Palestinians and wounded 800 more.
In August, another heart-wrenchingmassacre took place, this time in the Al-Tabaeen school in Gaza City, where 93 people, mostly women and children, were murdered in a single Israeli strike. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, women and children were the main victims of the Israeli genocide,accounting for 70 percent by November 8.
An earlier report by the Lancet Medical Journalsaid that if the war stopped in July, “186,000 or even more” Palestinians would have been killed. The war, however, went on. The rate of genocide in Gaza seemed to maintain the same killing ratio, despite the major regional developments including the mutual Iranian-Israeli tit-for-tat strikes and the major Israeli ground operation in Lebanon.
In October, Israel returned to the policies of targeting or besieging hospitals, killing doctors and other medical staff, and targeting aid and civil defense workers. Still, Israel would not achieve any of its strategic goals of the war. Even thekilling of Hamas’ leader, Yahya Sinwar, in battle on October 16 would not, in any way, alter the course of the war.
Israel's frustration grew by leaps and bounds throughout the year. Its desperate attempt to control the global narrative on the Gaza genocide largely failed. On July 19, and after listening to the testimonies of over 50 countries, the ICJissued a landmark ruling that “Israel's continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is illegal.”
That ruling, which expressed international consensus on the matter, wastranslated on September 17 to a UN General Assembly resolution “demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine within the next twelve months”.
All of this effectively meant that Israel's attempt at normalizing its occupation of Palestine, and its quest to illegally annex the West Bank was considered null and void by the international community. Israel, however, doubled down, taking its rage against West Bank Palestinians, who, too, were experiencing one of the worst Israeli pogroms in many years.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, by November 21, at least 777 Palestinians have beenkilled since October 7, 2023, while thousands more were wounded and over 11,700 arrested.
To make matters worse, Smotrichcalled, on November 11, for the full annexation of the West Bank. The call was made soon after the election of Donald Trump as the next US President, an event that initially inspired optimism amongst Israeli leaders, but later concerns that Trump may not serve the role of the savior for Israel after all.
On November 21, the ICCissued its historic ruling to arrest Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The decision represented a measure of hope, however faint, that the world is finally ready to hold Israel accountable for its many crimes.
2025 could, indeed, represent that watershed moment. This remains to be seen. However, as far as Palestinians are concerned, even with the failure of the international community to stop the genocide and reign in Israel, their steadfastness, sumoud, will remain strong until freedom is finally attained.
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World Central Kitchen 'Heartbroken' After Israel Bombing Kills Five in Gaza
The humanitarian aid group, which lost seven workers earlier this year in an attack by Israeli forces, said it was working with "incomplete information" about the latest strikes in Khan Younis.
Nov 30, 2024
Israel bombed a humanitarian vehicle in Gaza on Saturday, reportedly killing three aid workers with World Central Kitchen and Palestinian bystanders who tried to come to help after an initial strike.
"We are heartbroken to share that a vehicle carrying World Central Kitchen colleagues was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza," the U.S.-based aid group founded by chef José Andrés, said in a statement.
"At this time, we are working with incomplete information and are urgently seeking more details," the group said.
While Israeli officials said the vehicle was carrying a wanted Palestinian militant, WCK said it had "no knowledge that any individual in the vehicle had alleged ties to the October 7th Hamas attack." The group said it was pausing operations in Gaza for the time being. "Our hearts," they said, "are with our colleagues and their families in this unimaginable moment."
According to reports, the WCK vehicle was targeted on Salah al-Din Street in Khan Younis. After the three aid workers were killed in the first strike, Middle East Eyereports two other people "tried to help" but "were also targeted and killed" by what is known as a double-tap strike.
"The vehicle carried rice and other food supplies," Tamer Sammour, an eyewitness, told the news outlet.
MEE spoke with other witnesses:
Mohammed Abu Abed, a Khan Younis resident, identified one of the two men killed in the second strike as Adel Sammour.
"He asked me last night for bread, but I couldn’t help him," Abu Abed told MEE.
"The two men were farmers heading to work to make ends meet," he explained.
"They were waiting to be picked up for work when the first strike hit the vehicle nearby,”"he continued.
"When they tried to assist, they were also targeted and killed. They were just trying to make a living. They were innocent."
In April, a multi-vehicle WCK convoy was bombed by Israel, killing seven of the organization's workers. The attack sparked global condemnation but did little to end Israel's blocking of humanitarian aid.
A view of the destroyed vehicle following the Israeli army targeted the vehicle carrying aid workers of the US-based international aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) in an attack on Salah ad-Din Street in Khan Yunis, Gaza on November 30, 2024. (Photo by Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Image)
Earlier this month, as Common Dreamsreported, an analysis showed the delivery of life-saving aid into Gaza had "fallen to an all-time low," largely due to Israel's obstruction.
Across Gaza over the last 24 hours, at least 19 people were killed in attacks by Israel.
Following the attack on WCK vehicle, Al-Jazeera's Hind Khoudary reported from Khan Younis on the organization's decision to halt its operations in the area.
"After today's attack, the community kitchens did not work and serve people," Khoudary reported. "So, it's beyond attacking Palestinians, Palestinian workers, aid organizations, it’s attacking all sources of aid, and all sources of community kitchens, and those who have been working tirelessly to prevent starvation in Gaza."
"The question remains," she added, "why does Israel continue to target the World Central Kitchen community and their employees in the Gaza Strip?"
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'Certainly Crossed': Israel Pummels Rafah as Dems Aim to Hold Biden to 'Red Line'
Biden "was worried about tanks going into the city, that has already happened," Rep. Pramila Jayapal said. "He was worried about strikes on dense areas, that has already happened."
May 31, 2024
Israeli forces moved into central Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip by Friday as Democrats urged U.S. President Joe Biden to uphold his promise to halt some weapons shipments to Israel if it invaded the city.
Israeli commandos, backed by tanks and artillery, occupied central Rafah after taking control of the Philadelphi Corridor, an 8-mile border zone between Gaza and Egypt. Satellite imagery showed that Israeli tanks and military vehicles could be seen in central and western Rafah, The New York Timesreported.
The Israeli entry into central Rafah follows a week of airstrikes in the area that have killed many dozens of Palestinian civilians, prompting international outcry. It's also led to a dire shortage of food and medical supplies as humanitarian corridors close and relief groups leave the city, which had been a refuge for displaced Palestinians throughout much of the war.
Progressives responded by declaring that Biden's "red line" on Rafah has been definitively crossed and demanding an end to military support for Israel.
"It absolutely has crossed the red line, perhaps even before this," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, toldThe Hill on Friday. "I am frustrated by the reluctance to hold Netanyahu accountable... And I see this as dragging the United States into Netanyahu's war."
"[Biden] was worried about people being displaced; that has already happened, a million people have already been displaced," Jayapal added. "He was worried about tanks going into the city, that has already happened. He was worried about strikes on dense areas, that [has] already happened."
"So I really don't know what the red line is anymore because it feels fairly clear that this has certainly crossed the red line, and anything more than this would be a complete devastation of people, and at that point, it's too late," she added.
Other progressives, including members of the left-wing "Squad" in the U.S. House of Representatives, took similarly strong positions this week as news from the massacres in Rafah came in.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wrote on social media on Monday that the Israel's tent massacre the previous night already represented "open defiance" of Biden's red line.
"How many children have to die?," Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) wrote on social media Tuesday. "We're past the red line. It's time to stop sending military aid to Israel. Not one more dime."
Members of the Squad were not the only Democrats to voice their frustration.
"All the things that President Biden was worried about have come to pass," Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Wednesday in an interview with CNN. "The United States needs to get a full and clear commitment from the Netanyahu government on their plans going forward before we continue to shovel more offensive military assistance to the Netanyahu government."
"The United States can no longer just be a blank check for the Netanyahu government," Van Hollen added.
“The United States can no longer just be a blank cheque for the Netanyahu government”. With the Biden administration facing mounting criticism over its support for Israel’s war in Gaza, Senator @ChrisVanHollen tells me why he believes its time to change tack pic.twitter.com/xsmvpc5bDR
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) May 29, 2024
By invoking the "red line," Democrats refer to a May 9 interview in which Biden vowed to halt shipments of offensive weapons to Israel if its military undertook a major invasion of heavily populated areas of Rafah.
"I made it clear that if they go into Rafah—they haven't gone in Rafah yet—if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities—that deal with that problem," Biden toldCNN in the interview.
The Biden administration maintains that the red line hasn't yet been crossed because Israel has not engaged in a "major ground operation" in Rafah, as a spokesperson explained on Tuesday.
That assessment angered humanitarian groups, as it followed two massacres of Palestinian civilians in the Rafah area within 48 hours. On Sunday night, an Israeli strike on a humanitarian safe zone killed at least 45, mostly women and children. U.S.-made bombs were used in the attack, later analysis revealed. On Tuesday, a strike on a refugee camp killed 21, mostly women. The Israeli strikes have led to an international outcry, with demonstrators throughout the world calling for an end to the Rafah invasion.
The invasion has also caused aid groups such as the World Central Kitchen to pause operations in Rafah, furthering the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Nicolas de Riviere, France's ambassador to the U.N., said his country was "extremely concerned" and called for an end to the Rafah invasion and a clear humanitarian corridor.
"We want a ceasefire," he toldAl Jazeera. "We want no operation in Rafah. We want full humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip. It’s not the case now."
The death count in Gaza continues to mount. In the last 24 hours, 60 Palestinians have died, and more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel's latest military activity in the Gaza Strip has not been limited to the south. Israeli forces announced Friday that they'd ended a three-week campaign in the city of Jabalia in northern Gaza, site of a major refugee camp. They left "a trail of devastation and destruction," according toAl Jazeera, as they did following an October campaign in Jabalia.
A Jabalia resident who returned home following this most recent Israeli campaign said he could not even locate his house."I did not know where my house was or where its borders were," Abdul Hadi Rayan, 42, toldThe Washington Post. "The area has no house suitable for living at all."
"Even if I decide to return to the camp and live in a tent, all the infrastructure, all the streets and water lines are destroyed," he added. "There is absolutely no place for life here now."
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Friday said it had "horrific reports" from Jabalia, including tents full of people being set on fire at a school where they were sheltering. UNRWA, whose commissioner called on Thursday for an end to Israeli violence against the agency in a guest essay in The New York Times, has been a lifesaving force in Gaza during the war but has been cited as a terrorist organization by Israel; the Knesset is considering a formal designation of UNRWA as such.
The last weeks we've received horrific reports from @UNRWA facilities in Jabalia north #Gaza
Displaced people- incl. children- reportedly killed & injured sheltering in our school, besieged by IDF tanks
Tents of people sheltering at our school reportedly set on fire by IDF. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/cHRcgVa9O1
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 31, 2024
A photo of a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, following the withdrawal of occupation forces yesterday.#NotATarget ❌#Gaza pic.twitter.com/bcUbZedU7j
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) May 31, 2024
Progressives argued that U.S. complicity in Israeli's military actions would come at great cost.
"We have to recognize that if we continue down this course of supporting Netanyahu with zero conditions, and despite the fact that he's doing things that we have said we won't tolerate, we lose not only credibility with the international community, but we're just continuing to lose credibility here at home about what values we actually stand for," Jayapal told The Hill.
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