AS the number of those killed by Israeli bombing of Gaza during the last two years is nearing seventy thousand (besides thousands others feared to be buried under the rubble of home and office building), latest report of the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals a pathetic situation vis-à-vis the injured, who have been left at the mercy of circumstances due to intransigent attitude of the Jewish State towards the issue of humanitarian aid for the besieged population.
It says life-changing injuries account for one quarter of all reported injuries, of a total of 167 376 people injured since October 2023. Over 5000 people have faced amputation while other severe injuries include arms and legs (22,000), spinal cord (2,000), brain (1,300) and major burns (3,300). The report also highlights the prevalence of complex facial and eye injuries, especially amongst patients listed for medical evacuation outside Gaza, conditions often leading to disfigurement, disability, and social stigma.
Shamefully, this state of affairs is continuing in a world that is considered to be very sensitive not only to human rights but also those of animals and birds and all this is happening with the full connivance of those who consider themselves as leaders of the civilized world. The report highlights the need for specialized surgical and rehabilitation treatment but Israel is not allowing supply of basic food and medicines to the Strip. As new injuries mount and health needs rise, the health system teeters on the brink of collapse. Only 14 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional, while less than one-third of pre-conflict rehabilitation services are operating, with several facing imminent closure. Gaza once had around 1300 physiotherapists and 400 occupational therapists, but many have been displaced and at least 42 had been killed as of September 2024. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has rightly pointed out that all this is a war crime and a crime against humanity that is both documented and monitored and it will be recorded in history books and the pages of international conscience as one of the most horrific chapters of humanitarian tragedy in the 20th and 21st centuries. He was not alone in mirroring the horrific situation in Gaza as a latest report of the United Nations also held Israel guilty of genocide against Palestinians.
It says Israeli officials have demonstrated a clear and consistent intent to establish permanent military control over Gaza and to change its demographic composition while systematically destroying Palestinian life in Gaza. The report also cited Israeli demolition of wells, sewage-pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants as well as the destruction of educational institutions, mosques and cemeteries. Israel is also continuing with its illegal settlement plans and a few days back Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved forward with a settlement expansion plan in the West Bank that would make any future Palestinian State virtually impossible. He signed an agreement to move forward with the project, which would bisect the West Bank, saying he was fulfilling his promise that “there will be no Palestinian State”. What an irony that a majority of the international community has consistently been voicing support for the just cause of Palestinians besides raising concerns about Israeli brutalities but there was no improvement in the ground situation for decades. After two years of unprecedented bombing that has turned the entire Gaza Strip in rubble, American President Donald Trump has unveiled a plan that appears to be legitimizing Israeli policies and plans and provides no firm guarantees to safeguard legitimate rights of Palestinian people. It is because of the unilateral changes to the agreed draft that the Muslim bloc of eight countries is apparently distancing itself away from the plan and further progress is understandably linked to its revision as per original commitments.
