NEWS ANALYSIS: Israel's Violence Continues Throughout Ramadan
Israel's ongoing war crimes include the siege of Al-Shifa Hospital and the continued blocking of humanitarian aid.
Ramadan in Gaza
What should be a holy month of fasting, prayer, contemplation, charity, and joy has become a time of mourning and heightened fear for Palestinians living in Gaza. Families feel the absence of the 30,000 people who have been killed over the past six months — “Every family has a martyr.” Many struggle to find food with which to break the fast each night. In the face of this unfathomable suffering, Israel dropped mocking leaflets over Gaza wishing Muslims a happy Ramadan.
Nevertheless, the people of Gaza continue to display their resilience and unshakable faith. They continue to gather in great numbers to celebrate evening prayers, and although the sick and malnourished are given a dispensation from fasting, many have decided to observe it as a sign of devotion.
Writing for Time magazine, Abeer Barakat said that “It would be easy to lose faith when inhumanity surrounds us. It may sound strange but, after surviving five months of brutal war, the start of the holy month has in some ways deepened my faith.” Everywhere in Gaza, there is a conviction that justice will prevail in the end.
Siege at Al-Shifa Hospital
Israel received international criticism last November when it raided Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where it interrogated doctors and placed injured civilians in the crossfire. Since March 18, the hospital has been the site of a deadly siege: the IDF has killed more than 140 Palestinians who it claims are “terrorists.”
However, this assertion has not been verified, and there is good reason to believe that the killings were more akin to a massacre. International advocacy group Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor was told by eyewitnesses that the IDF had committed “extrajudicial executions” against civilians.
Additionally, an estimated 320 people have been detained inside the hospital, including journalists, doctors and nurses, and displaced persons who had taken shelter there. Those who have been freed report that journalists and medical personnel were strip-searched, interrogated, and tortured.
The head of surgery at the hospital, Dr. Marwan Abu Saada, told CNN that
“Many [medical staff] were arrested and were taken to an unknown place, some were forced to leave the hospital and displaced to the south half naked, and others were ordered to go back to the hospital… Soldiers assaulted and violated our medical staff and workers in Al-Shifa Hospital, left them without food or water for two days, taking into consideration that this is the month of Ramadan and they are fasting.”
When the raid began on Monday, March 18, 3,000 people were taking refuge inside the hospital. As they tried to escape, they were targeted by snipers and military helicopters. Tanks and bulldozers began to approach Al-Shifa and surrounding areas, forcing residents to evacuate.
The Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, released a statement last week , highlighting the strain the raid has placed on Gaza’s already wounded medical infrastructure:
"Accessing Al-Shifa is now impossible, and there are reports of health workers being arrested and detained… The ongoing situation could impact the hospital's ability to function, even minimally, and deprive people of critical, lifesaving care. We repeat once again: Hospitals are not battlegrounds. They must be protected in line with international humanitarian law."
Israel’s Deliberate Starvation of Palestinian Civilians
The figures coming out of Northern Gaza are chilling: an IPC report released Monday found that 1.1 million people are experiencing “catastrophic hunger.” Famine — which occurs when 20% of households have an extreme lack of food, 30% of children suffer acute malnutrition, and at least two adults or four children per 10,000 people die each day — is predicted to occur in the region any time between now and May.
Despite this state of crisis, Israel continues to block humanitarian aid. On Sunday, March 17, relief organization Oxfam said that Israeli officials rejected a “warehouse” of supplies, including oxygen, incubators, water, and sanitation equipment. Composed of donations by charities around the world, the shipment is sitting unused at El Arish, on the border with Egypt.
Currently, Israel only allows aid trucks to enter Gaza through two checkpoints — Rafah and Kerem Shalom — even though it has the capability to open several more. Additionally, the Israeli authorities subject all incoming aid to an arduous inspection process, during which it frequently rejects items such as fuel generators that have a “military” use.
The results have been tragic:
“Israel has allowed 15,413 trucks into Gaza during the past 157 days of war. Oxfam says the population of Gaza needed five times more than that just to meet their minimum needs.”
The world must hold Israel accountable for its blatant disregard for human life. The same can be said for the United States, which continues to provide it with billions of dollars in military support. Justice demands no less than a free and flourishing Palestine.