Why the continued genocide in Gaza!

The Elder's group of international stateswoman and statesman have for the first time expressed their agony on the Gaza situation by stating: "Today we express our shock and outrage at Israel's deliberate obstruction of the entry of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza. What we saw and heard underlines our personal conviction that there is not only an unfolding, human-caused famine in Gaza. There is an unfolding genocide."

According to Britannica, genocide means "deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people because of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race. In contemporary international law the crime of genocide is part of the broader category of 'crimes against humanity', which were defined by the Charter of the International Military Tribunal (Nürnberg Charter). The charter granted the tribunal jurisdiction to indict and try the leaders of the Nazi regime for inhumane acts committed against civilians, as well as for acts of persecution on political, racial, or religious grounds."

Genocide of Palestinians in Gaza is not a recent phenomenon and has been going on since it the territory was occupied by Israel in the Arab-Israeli war of June 1967.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, more than 68,000 Palestinians, including 15,000 children and several hundred journalists, have been killed by bombing and ground attacks by the Jewish state. Thousands were injured and displaced when Israel occupied Gaza city and other parts of that territory. The recent killing of four Al-Jazeera journalists by Israeli forces in Gaza is highly condemnable. Barring the US, UNSC members agree that Israel is systematically pursuing a policy of exterminating Palestinians of Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling for exit and displacement of more than two million Palestinians from Gaza and their resettlement in other Arab countries. His plan has a tacit support of American President Donald Trump.

Suffering from hunger and starvation for months, Palestinians of Gaza, through pretty resilient, have reached a breaking point. Current talks between Hamas and Egypt cannot succeed unless Israel agrees to a comprehensive ceasefire and complete withdrawal of its forces. Nonetheless, the issue of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas is linked with permanent ceasefire in Gaza and withdrawal of Jewish forces from there. But, of late, pressure is being exerted on Hamas that it should agree to cede control of Gaza to Palestinian Authority and disarm so that Israel is compelled to agree to a comprehensive ceasefire and withdrawal of its forces.

As days are passing and two million Palestinians in Gaza are facing starvation and frequent Israeli bombardment, the international community, except for the US, is enraged over the manner in which the Jewish state wants to implement its policy of genocide. Food, fuel, water and medicine are not sufficiently reaching Gaza and Israel is killing Palestinians who are desperate to take food. Not only the UN General Assembly but also the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have vehemently criticised the Israeli policy of genocide in Gaza. Even some Israeli organisations are pointing out acts of genocide against the Palestinians of Gaza.

According to Amnesty International's write-up of July 28, 2025, "With the publication of these two reports, B' Tselem and Physicians for human rights, based on meticulous documentation and research, Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. This is another milestone in human rights community's efforts to hold Israeli authorities accountable for their crimes against Palestinians." The report further says, "Amid ongoing efforts by Israeli government to crackdown on the work of Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations such publications demanded courage and unyielding commitment to justice and accountability. Their findings must be heeded by the international community and translated into action to stop Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, end its unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory and dismantle its system of apartheid against all Palestinians whose rights Israel control."

There is ample evidence to prove that Israel has long been committing genocide against Palestinians so as to liquidate them and ensure total occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.

The reality of the unending Israeli genocide in Gaza needs to be analysed from three perspectives.

First, since 1948 when Israel was established leading to the first Arab-Israeli war, the Jewish state embarked on the policy of occupying Palestinian lands called as 'Nakba'. The 1967 Arab-Israeli war was decisive in determining the strength of Israel which occupied the Palestinian majority areas of West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Since then, one can witness erosion of the UNSC resolution of 1948 which called the establishment of an Arab state along with Israel. While the Jewish state was established, the Palestinian state still remains a dream particularly when Jewish settlements in West Bank surged and Israel is now making plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza. The UN partition plan of Palestine of 1947 has now ceased to exist because instead of creating a Palestinian state along with Israel, it has paved the way for a greater Jewish state. This also means the policy of greater Israel is now a reality. Tools of genocide like systematic killings and displacement of Palestinians which have been at work since 1948 will enable Israel to proceed forward and absorb other Arab territories like Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Second, more than Israel, the Muslim world is to be held responsible for enabling Israel to implement its policy of genocide against Palestinians. No Arab state since October 2023, when Israel attacked Gaza, came to the support and help of Palestinians. Egypt even refused to open Rafah crossing bordering Egypt to provide humanitarian assistance to besieged Palestinians. It is akin to facilitating Israel-US designs to deprive Palestinians of their land and displace them outside Gaza. That actually weakened the Palestinian cause. But, despite all efforts to deny Palestinians their homeland, majority of the UN members have recognised the Palestinian State.

Finally, despite the erosion of the demand for an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, the day is not far when Israel will have to relegate because it cannot have peace unless it seeks peace with Palestinians of West Bank and Gaza.