Block their capital: Hasan Raheem slams US-Israel alliance, calls for boycott of their goods

Israeli tanks and troops pressed towards Gaza City on Thursday but met resistance from Hamas fighters using mortars and hit-and-run attacks from tunnels as the Palestinian death toll from nearly four weeks of bombardment climbed above 9,000.

The Gaza Strip's main population centre in the north has become the focus of attack for Israel, which has vowed to annihilate the Palestinian group's command structure and has told civilians to leave.

As demand for immediate ceasefire gains support, celebrities and media figures are increasingly turning to their large online following to amplify atrocities in Gaza and West Bank. Singer Hasan Raheem has once again condemned Israeli regime, this time calling out US-Israel relations for collectively brutalising Palestinians.

Taking to X, the singer penned, “US and Israel are back to 1948. Their propaganda is in shambles. Bunch of spineless nations with zero diplomacy as they only know how to use brute force and destruction to make a statement.” The Peechay Hutt artist capped the post with “Free Palestine and Pray for Palestine.”

Shortly after, Raheem wrote another post, encouraging his fellow countrymen and women to buy locally manufactured products. The musician further insisted that people avoid purchasing products from countries upholding Israel’s apartheid, stating that such boycotts would “make them kneel.”

“Block their capital and see how it brings peace to your heart,” Raheem added, advocating a capital blockade. Many pro-Palestine supporters are circulating calls for boycott of Israeli businesses and linkages with other multinational corporations under Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.

Previously, Raheem utilized his platform to shed light on the dehumanization faced by Palestinians. “Palestinians are asked to guarantee the well-being and welfare of their oppressors (Israel) as they are killed, imprisoned and brutally repressed daily is a testament to their utter dehumanization.” In another tweet, he wrote, "If you don't have humanity, your religion makes no difference."

The latest war in the decades-old conflict began when Hamas fighters broke through the border on Oct. 7. Israel says they killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 200 hostages in the deadliest day of its 75-year history. Israel's ensuing bombardment of the small Palestinian enclave of 2.3 million people has killed at least 9,061 people, including 3,760 children and 2,326 women, according to Gaza health authorities.

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