Protester sign in Chicago Nov. 2023 The Xavierite
Oct. 7, 2024 marks one year since the Hamas surprise attacks on the Israeli entity. Over 1000 Israeli soldiers were killed and about 200 soldiers were taken captive.
As a result of the Palestinians resisting their occupiers and fighting for their freedom through the means that they thought were necessary, the Israeli war machine doubled down on its oppression by declaring war and vowing that they will not spare men, women, elderly, or children.
Over the course of this past year, Israel, with the approval of Western countries such as the U.S., U.K., and France, cut off off electricity, fuel, water, food, and aid to the Gaza Strip in an act of genocide.
In just a single year, over 186,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed in the Gazan Genocide, according to the Lancet Medical Journal. These martyrs are likely to be buried under rubble, unable to be retrieved, or dead due to starvation and disease.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) did not spare mosques, churches, hospitals, schools, or even tents in refugee camps in their bombing campaigns on the Gaza Strip. The IOF carries out massacre after massacre, and the U.S. finds any excuse to let them get away with it.
Throughout the course of this year, Western nations have been exposed for what they truly are: imperialist genocide enablers.
Not one Western nation has bat an eye at the massacres carried out by Israel. No one cares that babies are murdered in cold blood, that men and women are being raped, and that craters now mark where refugee tents once stood.
This lie that we have been led to believe that the West cares about human rights and democracy is pure garbage.
Our presidential candidates are arguing with each other over who loves Israel more and is willing to support them more in the event that they win the elections in November. Former President Donald Trump used the word ‘Palestinian’ like a slur in his debate against President Joe Biden.
U.S. politicians on payroll for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) are desensitized to the killing of Palestinians and other Arabs and are vowing that they will never stop supporting Israel when they are asked about the massacres they are committing.
Another lie that I would like to debunk is that Israel’s genocide of Gaza is not about rescuing hostages. If Israel, the “only democracy in the Middle East” and the “most moral army in the world,” according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, cared about their hostages they would not bomb every single inch of Gaza in hopes to retrieve them.
Hostages who have been released during the temporary ceasefire and prisoner exchange last November said they were not held in the tunnels under Gaza, but in apartments in Gaza’s residential buildings. In August, six hostages were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza are doing more harm than good for their people. For a year, Israelis have been protesting for their government to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas to free the hostages.
Make no mistake, however, these people do not want the genocide to end because they care about Palestinian lives, they only wish to stop the “war” so they can bring their loved ones home.
If Israel really cared about their citizens and didn’t want them caught in the crossfire, wouldn’t they agree to a ceasefire to bring them home?
But no, they don’t care, otherwise they would not be ruthlessly bombing Lebanon and Syria. If there are no hostages in Lebanon, why on Earth have they been under heavy bombing by Israel for three straight weeks?
Another point I’d like to make is that the West Bank has been attacked and raided daily since before Oct. 7, and these raids have only intensified since Oct. 7.
There are zero hostages in the West Bank, so why is Israel establishing its presence there, raiding homes, cities, and towns, constantly carrying out massacres, and taking thousands of men and women as prisoners?
The Zionist Israeli entity has been exposed for what it is because of Oct. 7, as well as all of the Western superpowers. Only Israel can commit war crimes in four countries without receiving so much as a slap on the wrist.
If any Arab country was committing the same crimes as Israel, they would be bombed relentlessly, invaded, and have sanctions placed on them without hesitation.
Israel must be held accountable in every way possible for its actions. The U.S. must pressure Israel to agree to a ceasefire immediately to stop the bloodshed of Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians, and Yemenis from continuing any further. Humanity is on the line.
Ceasefire now. Free Palestine.