The IAWM welcomes the temporary ceasefire in the Israel Gaza war, the delivery of limited vital aid to Gaza and the release of some hostages by both Hamas and Israel.
It also welcomes the wise decision of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) to defer the protest planned for today in Dublin due to the horrific violent events in the city on Thursday. It concurs with the sentiments expressed in the IPSC STATEMENT It also welcomes that other Palestinian solidarity events will take place around Ireland over this weekend.
This last week in Gaza has seen further atrocities by the Israeli military against the civilian population of Gaza and the West Bank. Multiple attacks and strikes have occurred. The conservative estimate earlier this week was of 13,000 civilians killed with 5,300 of them being children. According to UNICEF child killings account for 40% of all Gazans killed and stands at an average of 115 per day for several weeks now. UNICEF Director Catherine Russell states in addition that “more than 1,200 children remain under the rubble of bombed out buildings.” (REF: UNICEF REPORT)
This brutal targeting and killing of civilians concur exactly with the stated aims of Israeli political and military leaders. One just has to listen the pronouncements of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Ministers Gallant, Smotrich, Eliyahu et al all of whom have been explicit about their genocidal intent in relation to Gaza. They announced they would commit mass murder of Gazans, ethnically cleanse the population and destroy all civilian infrastructure and then they proceeded to do exactly that with the support of the US, Britain and EU powers.
Former Major General of the Israeli Defence Forces, Giora Eiland is a case in point. He concluded an article published in the Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on 19th November which proposed a Dresden type bombing solution for Gaza stating:
“When senior Israeli figures say in the media “its either us or them” we should clarify the question of who is “them”. “They” are not only Hamas fighters with weapons, but also all the “civilian” officials, including hospital administrators and school administrators, and also the entire Gaza population (italics IAWM) who enthusiastically supported Hamas and cheered on its atrocities on October 7th.”
The civilian director of the Al Shifa hospital has been kidnapped by the Israeli military this week and there are fears for his safety.
Jim Roche, PRO of the IAWM said:
“This week we saw the ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza continuing. An UNWRA school where Gazans were sheltering was bombed before the ceasefire came in, with tens of civilians killed and injured. Hundreds of victims of Israeli air strikes and artillery attacks were buried unnamed in a mass grave. Thousands may be underneath the rubble of destroyed buildings.
We welcome the 4-day truce and the exchange of hostages. The mainstream media have focused on the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas, but the Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, were in effect, hostages too and their release should be reported and celebrated. Many of them are women and children arrested on no charges under the punitive Administrative Detention system operated by Israel in the West Bank. The ceasefire must be monitored, ideally by neutral western countries. Israel already broke it yesterday evening with its brutal killing of ten-year old Mohammad Ibrahim Fahed Bahloul in Beita, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
We understand and agree with the deferment of the IPSC Dublin protest this week but, even if the truce is extended as we hope it will be, we call for further mass protests against one of the most brutal and horrific wars against a civilian population in the history of humanity. There must be no return to the status quo. Israel must be sanctioned for its unprecedented war crimes and its continued crime of apartheid against the people of Palestine.”
