Israel Decimates Gaza, Nearly 2M Palestinians Displaced : Indybay

Tue Oct 31 2023 (Updated 12/12/23)

Israel Decimates Gaza, Nearly 2M Palestinians Displaced

Seven Weeks of Israeli Blockade and Bombings Leaves Gazans Struggling to Survive

The state of Israel was in the process of normalizing relations with surrounding Arab nations, ignoring the aspirations of Palestinians in the occupied territories to live freely. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ultra-nationalist zionist government thought it could keep a lid on the Gaza Strip by supporting Hamas financially, in order to divide Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and sabotage a two-state solution, meanwhile expanding settlements and supporting settler-driven terror in the West Bank. That strategy was proven deadly wrong when Hamas broke through several points in the wall surrounding Gaza, as well as flying over it at dawn on October 7, launching an unprecedented attack utilizing paragliders, motorcyles, and other vehicles to swoop in and kill 1,200 Israelis and international travelers and take over 200 hostages.

Israel retaliated with a total blockade of Gaza cutting off food, water, electricity, and fuel supplies, collectively punishing Gaza's 2.3 million residents. In the first week alone, Israel dropped over 6,000 bombs and missiles on the Gaza Strip, more than the US dropped on the entire country of Afghanistan in any given year. The bombings have continued since, nearly 24 hours a day. Israel ordered all residents of northern Gaza to move south, and hundreds of thousands did at first while others tried to hold on, fearing a second Nakba and that they would never be allowed to return to their homes. Israel's far-right government ministers have openly advocated for genocide and mass expulsion of Palestinians, suggesting that all Gazans be permanently pushed into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, a "voluntary resettlement."

The level of destruction in Gaza in just seven weeks is staggering. Over 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced and face serious malnutrition and dehydration, as well as bombings in southern Gaza, which was promised by Israel to be safer. Nearly 15,000 have been killed, a third of whom are children, with tens of thousands injured. The actual death toll is certainly higher with many unaccounted for, likely buried under rubble as Israel levels entire neighborhoods. Around 50% of all residential housing in the strip has been destroyed. Water wells and other critical infrastructure has been permanently destroyed. Israel has killed 108 UN staff, at least 200 medical and aid workers, and over 65 journalists. It has bombed and raided hospitals, schools, churches, mosques, UN facilities and more, often where war refugees were seeking shelter from bombings elsewhere, allowing in barely enough supplies to keep the population from completely starving to death. Communications networks and internet access have gone dark repeatedly. Fears of an epidemic outbreak and general health emergency grow as the majority of hospitals have been forced to close and conditions continue to deteriorate.

Additionally, thousands of Gazans who worked in southern Israel were imprisoned, with multiple reports of beatings and denial of food and water. In the West Bank, Israel has abducted/arrested over three thousand Palestinians and killed more than 200. Israeli settlers have taken the war as a green light to attack Palestinians and have killed at least eight, including one child.

A four-day truce finally began on November 24, with Israeli hostages expected to be traded for imprisoned Palestinian women and children, tried in military courts without standard civil defense procedures, if not held without charges in "administrative detention." It is expected that more aid trucks will be allowed to enter the strip during the truce, but Israel has promised to continue its relentless war on Gaza once the truce ends.

Reports from the Gaza Strip:

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