An orphaned generation

The number of children orphaned by the Israeli onslaught has crossed 60,000, and there is no sign that the Zionist government can be shamed into stopping that number from increasing. Of the 60,737 children who have lost at least one parent since Israel's military campaign began in October 2023, at least 2,713 have lost both parents. Given the already impoverished state of the territory, these children have lost any chance to access the basic family and societal structures that might have helped them grow up safe and healthy. Yet, some families have suffered even more violence than these orphans. At least 2,276 entire families - accounting for 8,858 people - have been completely wiped out, as the total death toll in Gaza has crossed 73,000.

We must reiterate that no matter what lies the Israelis and their allies try to sell, none of the death and suffering these children face is a tragic case of 'collateral damage' in war. It is the direct consequence of deliberate policy. A United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded in June that "Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes." The commission found that approximately 30% of those killed in Gaza were children, and that the killing and maiming of Palestinian children "was part of a strategy to destroy the biological continuity and future existence of the Palestinian group". The protection owed to children under international law has been entirely disregarded. The cruelty is the point.

The international community is powerless to stop this violence. At the UNSC, the guarantee of a US veto makes it impossible to penalise Israel - or the US and Germany, which supply 90% of Israel's arms. Several Muslim countries have also chosen to prioritise their relationship with the US over the plight of the Palestinians. The few countries that have actually taken principled stands can't change things on their own. But at least the citizens of these countries can safely say that their taxes are not supporting genocide.