Image Source: The Times of Israel
Jenin – As we gather around our iftar tables, expressing appreciation for the array of sustenance before us and to the people who have prepared it, let us also remember the plight of Muslims worldwide who lack the means to break their fasts.
In particular, we must not overlook the dire situation of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have endured fasting for well over four months. Many lack basic provisions such as food and drinkable water, relying on whatever scant resources they have.
When their meagre supplies diminish, they seek assistance from aid convoys, only to face brutal aggression from Israeli forces, perpetuating their suffering. Those who escape injury are often killed in their attempts to secure food for themselves and their families.
Palestinian journalist Osama Nazzam brings attention to and raises questions about how people can carry on with their lives unaffected despite the grim reality faced by over a million Palestinians trapped within an ethnic enclave, enduring relentless bombings and starvation.
Furthermore, he points out that around 11 Palestinians lost their lives in Gaza recently at the hands of Israeli soldiers merely for approaching an aid truck in search of relief.
“Today, when they were waiting at the roundabout for the humanitarian aid to get to them, the Israeli tanks bombarded them and killed 11 people and injured tens of others. Why? Because they were waiting for a meal of food to serve to their wives, their parents, and their children at the iftar. Now, while all Muslims around the world are breaking their fast, the people of Gaza have neither food nor water to break their fast.”
So when the media declares a scarcity of resources and insufficient aid, recognise such reports as misinformation. The truth is that Israel’s blockades and false allegations are the root cause of Palestinian deaths from starvation and the perilous situation faced by thousands due to malnutrition and lack of hydration.
“If we keep silent, we are killing the humanity inside each one of us. We are killing the humanity of the world. Silence is complexity,” Nazzal said.
Palestinian Territories Cut Off from the Rest
In occupied Palestine, Gaza isn’t the sole region subjected to blockades and isolation from the outside world. Other Palestinian territories face similar conditions, albeit without imposing walls.
In the West Bank, Nazzal reveals that entire cities and towns are encircled by checkpoints, terrorised and overseen by the Israeli military. Residents are prohibited from leaving and even restricted from travelling to Al-Aqsa for Taraweeh prayers without permission.
Moreover, Palestinians in the West Bank are being subjected to systematic land confiscation, home destruction, and the expansion of illegal settlements.
Innocent minors are routinely arrested, often subjected to harsh interrogation methods and detained without due process. The extrajudicial killings and targeting of Palestinian youths further exacerbate this tragedy.
He contends that such stringent control, oppressive and discriminatory laws and deadly perpetrations aim to coerce and suppress the rights of Palestinians through any available means.
This includes punitive actions such as withholding access to essential resources like food and water and curtailing their ability to worship freely at Al-Aqsa.
“From day one of the establishment of the Netanyahu government, the Minister of Finance said that the Palestinians have three options: either they accept Israel as an occupying power, they leave the country, or they fight, and we kill them. These are the three items of the current Israeli government’s plan that are being implemented in the West Bank.”
While Israel, its supporters, and allies bear responsibility for these atrocities, Nazzal contends that those who choose to remain silent are also culpable. Israel may possess the resources to perpetrate these acts of genocide. However, the lack of action from governments supporting the Palestinian cause allows such genocide to persist.
