Since 7 October 2023, Israel has engaged in a large-scale military assault by land, air and sea, on the Gaza Strip (‘Gaza’), a narrow strip of land approximately of 365 square kilometres – one of the most densely populated places in the world [48]. Gaza — home to approximately 2.3 million people, almost half of them children — has been subjected by Israel to what has been described as one of the “heaviest conventional bombing campaigns” in the history of modern warfare [49]. By 29 October 2023 alone, it was estimated that 6,000 bombs per week had been dropped on the tiny enclave [50]. In just over two months, Israel’s military attacks had “wreaked more destruction than the razing of Syria’s Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraine’s Mariupol, or proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II.” [51]. The destruction wrought by Israel is so extreme that “Gaza is now a different colour from space. It’s a different texture” [52].
Since that letter was written, the numbers have risen even more starkly: at least 21,110 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and over 55,243 other Palestinians have been wounded, many severely [56]. The death toll includes over 7,729 children, [57] not including the 4,700 women and children still missing, and presumed dead under the rubble [58]. Entire multi-generational families have been wiped out completely. Over 355,000 homes equivalent to more than 60 per cent of Gaza’s housing stock in Gaza has been damaged or destroyed [59]. 1.9 million Palestinians — approximately 85 per cent of the total population — have been internally displaced [60]. Many fled the north of the territory to the south, having been ordered to do so by Israel, only to be bombed again in the south, and told to flee once again further south or the south west, where they are reduced to living in makeshift tents in camps with no water, sanitation or other facilities [61]. Israel has bombed, shelled and besieged Gaza’s hospitals, with only 13 out of 36 hospitals partially functional, and no fully functioning hospital left in North Gaza [62]. Gaza’s healthcare system has all but collapsed, with reports of operations, including amputations and caesarean sections, taking place without anaesthetic [63]. A significant proportion of the wounded and sick are unable to access any or adequate care [64]. Contagious and epidemic diseases are rife amongst the displaced Palestinian population, with experts warning of the risk of meningitis, cholera and other outbreaks [65]. The entire population in Gaza is at imminent risk of famine, whereas the proportion of households affected by acute food insecurity is the largest ever recorded according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (‘IPC’) [66]. Experts warn that silent, slow deaths caused by hunger and thirst risk surpassing those violent deaths already caused by Israeli bombs and missiles [67].
This section provides an overview of the acts in which Israel has engaged that are genocidal in character, having regard to their nature, scope and context. These acts are ongoing, and ongoing in a conflict context, where Israel is deliberately imposing telecommunications blackouts on Gaza and restricting access by fact-finding bodies [173] and the international media [174]. At the same time Palestinian journalists are being killed at a rate significantly higher than has occurred in any conflict in the past 100 years. In the two months since 7 October 2023, the number of journalists killed already exceeded that of the entirety of World War II [175].
Over 21,110 Palestinians are reported to have been killed since Israel began its military assault on Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 70 per cent of whom are believed to be women and children [184]. An additional estimated 7,780 people, including at least 4,700 women and children, are reported missing, presumed dead under the rubble of destroyed buildings — dying slow deaths — or decomposing in the streets where they were killed [185] Israel’s blockage of adequate fuel imports, its destruction of infrastructure and the communication blackouts it imposes severely hamper rescue attempts. As of 8 December 2023, only one rescue vehicle was reportedly operational in the whole of Gaza, with survivors forced to try to dig for survivors with their bare hands [186]. The level of Israel’s killing is so extensive that bodies are being buried in mass graves, often unidentified [187].
Doctors, journalists, teachers, academics and other professionals are also being killed at wholly unprecedented rates. To date, Israel has killed: over 311 doctors, nurses and other health workers, including doctors and ambulance drivers killed on duty [208]; 103 journalists, amounting to over one per day [209], and more than 73 per cent of the total number of journalists and media workers killed globally in 2023 [210]; 40 civil defence workers — responsible for helping to dig victims out of the rubble — killed while on duty; and over 209 teachers and educational staff [211]. 144 United Nations employees have also been killed, the “highest number of aid workers killed in UN history in such a short time” [212].
Over 55,243 Palestinians have been wounded in Israel’s military attacks on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the majority of them women and children [215]. Burns and amputations are typical injuries [216], with an estimated 1,000 children having lost one or both legs [217]. There are reports of Israeli forces using white phosphorus in densely populated areas in Gaza: as the World Health Organization describes, even small amounts of white phosphorus can cause deep and severe burns, penetrating even through bone, and capable of reigniting after initial treatment [218].
Palestinian mothers have been killed in maternity hospitals, and Palestinian children in children’s hospitals [352]. Even those tending to and counting the dead –– like Saeed Al Shorbaji, Director of Nasser Hospital’s mortuary ––have themselves been killed [353]. Some have been victims of Israeli attacks multiple times over, like 12-year old Dina Abu Mohsen –– interviewed by UNICEF after losing her parents, two siblings and her leg in an Israeli strike on her home –– she was then killed herself when the Israeli army shelled the hospital where she was being treated [354].
They need to start speaking up far more stridently.
Have they tried rising up and overthrowing the government?
They are afforded a level of free speech and expression which the Palestinians aren’t; it is unfortunate that they don’t exercise it as much as they could.They have probably tried as much as the Palestinians have to try to overthrow Hamas.
One poll (very small sample) suggested that a big majority of Israelis (83%) wanted Gazan Palestinians to leave Gaza.I don’t think anybody believes that the Israeli government is representative of their people, but to allow this frenzy the people of Israel can only be seen in two ways.
For or against, they need to have a voice.
I can totally understand that after what happened but that is just a one-off question without context. Now, if they’d have said they wanted them to leave Gaza by way of body bags or crushed in rubble, would that be the same outcome?One poll (very small sample) suggested that a big majority of Israelis (83%) wanted Gazan Palestinians to leave Gaza.