Gaza: Alive Until Further Notice
By Yasmine Fakhry
In a world with no red lines, Gaza is “enduring” a slow-motion genocide bombardment and starvation with excessive and unrestrained power. It is experiencing an ethnic cleansing exercised by injustice, persecution and intimidation. It is witnessing a war characterized by a barbarism beyond belief without a single measure of humanitarianism never experienced by any regime or authority in our contemporary world.
People are left in slow-motion death status with no minimal resources for survival such as fuel, food, water, health services. etc. People are indeed experiencing severe food and nutrition insecurity due to shortage of food and thirsty due to water scarcity. as there is more spilled blood than clean water in Gaza. Gazans’ homes are demolished and they are being forcibly displaced one more time to a hopeless future.
Countless images of inhumanity flood the media, depicting widespread violence, enduring long queues for bread, and relying on rainfall for access to water. Concurrently, a humanitarian crisis unfolds as patients endure treatments on the floor, surgeries without anesthesia, and wound care lacking antibiotics and ointments. The limited aid compounds the dire situation, and the unfathomable carnage persists relentlessly.
In the midst of this overwhelming despair, a stark reality emerges – Gazans bear the brunt of dehumanization, where Palestinian lives are undervalued. Stripped of respect and denied the basic elements of a decent life, they grapple with a profound humanitarian crisis.
The Enduring Displacement and Oppression of Palestinians
For generations, Palestinians have been caught in a cycle of displacement. Since 1948, countless families have been forced from their homes, becoming internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, or asylum seekers. Their ancestral lands remain out of reach, a constant reminder of loss and longing.
Gaza, a narrow strip of land along the Mediterranean, has become a stark symbol of this ongoing exile. For over two decades, it has existed under a suffocating siege, effectively transforming it into an open-air prison. The Israeli government wields immense biopower, exerting control over the lives and well-being of Palestinians within its walls. The effects of this biopower are tangible and devastating. Movement is severely restricted, hindering access to basic necessities like food, medical supplies, and education.
Hence, this siege has been affecting access to food, medical supplies and other necessities, through efforts made to control Palestinians through violent biopolitics and ultimately deciding their fate in life and death by necropolitics (Daher-Nashif, 2020).
Violation of international conventions
Amidst the devastating death toll in Gaza, it is probably needless to question to what extent international conventions and human rights’ declaration are applied.
Specifically, is international humanitarian law being respected, particularly the article protecting civilians and civil objects like schools, hospitals, and journalists? The use of banned weapons, as documented by the ICRC (2005), further raises concerns about adherence to legal frameworks.
Furthermore, how does the Universal Declaration of Human Rights apply to the current situation? Article 3 safeguards the fundamental right to life, liberty, and security of person, even during emergencies or war. To what extent is this right protected in Gaza? Similarly, Article 25 advocates for an adequate standard of living, including access to food, water, and healthcare. Is this crucial human right being fulfilled? The World Health Organization and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (2008) define the right to health as encompassing medical services, clean water, sanitation, and more. This basic entitlement, essential for living with dignity, seems severely compromised in Gaza (WHO & OHCHR, 2008).
Finally, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development outlines ambitious goals for a better future. However, in Gaza, these goals (SDGs) appear to be crumbling. The demolition of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) is evident in widespread hunger and food insecurity. The alarming number of killings and attacks on hospitals directly contradict SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Likewise, lack of access to clean water undermines SDG 6 (Access to clean water), which encompasses water security and sanitation for all.
SDG 10(reduced inequalities) is also highly questioned. In fact, this goal aims to reduce income inequality within and among countries, promote social inclusion, and ensure equal opportunity for all. However, Gaza suffers from pre-existing inequalities induced by the Israeli blockade, coupled with internal political divisions, which has hampered economic growth and development. Unemployment rates are high, particularly among youth and women. Poverty is widespread, with limited access to basic necessities like food, water, and healthcare. Of course, the current war has highly exacerbated the current inequalities.
Vulnerability
Children bear the brunt of the current conflict in Gaza. A disproportionate number of casualties are newborns and children, highlighting the grave violations of their rights and international rules protecting them during conflict (UN, 1996; UNICEF, 2007; ICRC, 2005).
The war's impact goes beyond immediate casualties. Ongoing bombardments create widespread trauma, fear, and displacement. Shortages of food, clean water, infant formula, access to education, and extracurricular activities exacerbate the already dire situation. These factors leave children particularly vulnerable to short-term and long-term negative impacts on physical and mental health.
Pregnant women are also experiencing immense hardship. Stress and fear contribute to difficult pregnancies and miscarriages. Many are forced to deliver alone in unsanitary conditions without medication, even facing cesarean sections performed without anesthesia. Limited access to hospitals puts others at risk of death, forced to give birth alone in damaged homes or makeshift shelters. Delivery in the midst of conflict adds another layer of stress for mothers, making it difficult to initiate and sustain breastfeeding for their newborns. Lack of resources, displacement, and witnessing violence all contribute to the challenges they face. Scarcity of menstrual pads leads thousands of women to delay their periods with medication, while others resort to using improvised solutions like cloth or paper. Hospitals, meant to be safe havens, become battlegrounds in Gaza. Bombs and drones target fuel reserves and oxygen tanks, essentially condemning premature babies in incubators and critically ill patients to death.
The future of Gaza
What remains after the political agenda reaches its end? Inhabitable Gaza burdened with homelessness, destroyed infrastructure, broken healthcare system, lack of basic resources for life including electricity, safe water and medications.
The future is built on an entire disabled and traumatized generation in the form of millions of orphaned children, injured and amputated people from experimental weapons and a big fraction of survivors with physical disabilities and chronic diseases. What is the future of those survivors? A devastating physical and mental impact on everyone in Gaza.
Gaza can never heal…
Conclusion
Sadly, war tactics in Gaza do not comply at all with any of international rules and guidelines to be followed during conflict. It is urged to choose the side of humanity as politics betrayed humanitarian principles. What has been happening in Gaza for the last couple of months constitute a blatant violation of any military strategy and unselective attacks on civilians and civilian objects are forbidden.
Protecting the rights of the people, children, civilians, healthcare professionals, detainees and hostages is the undiscussable priority. In a world with no red lines, it is crucial to restore the balance of power. It is also vital to reject colonialism and occupation. The world cannot stand silent with the useless meetings of world leaders and international organizations. Urgent and firm actions are needed to assure a long-lasting ceasefire rather than pauses to assure a humanitarian corridor and financial support for legitimate aid to address the critical shortages of medical supply, equipment, food supplies, resources, expert volunteers, etc.
References
Daher-Nashif, S. (2021). Colonial management of death: To be or not to be dead in Palestine. Current Sociology, 69(7), 945-962. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392120948923 [Accessed 20 November
2023]
ICRC (2005) Customary International Humanitarian Law, Volume I: Rules, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5305e3de4.html [Accessed 20 November 2023]
UNICEF (2007) Implementation Handbook for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, September 2007, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/585150624.html [Accessed 28 November 2023]
UN General Assembly (1948) Universal Declaration of Human Rights.217 A (III). Available from: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b3712c.html [Accessed 12 November 2023]
UN General Assembly (1996) Impact of armed conflict on children note / by the Secretary-General, 26 August 1996, A/51/306, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3b00f2d30.html [Accessed 12 November 2023]
UN General Assembly (2015) Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A/RES/70/1. Available from: https: //www. refworld.org/ docid/57b6e3e44.html [Accessed 12 October 2023]
WHO & OHCHR (2008) Fact Sheet No. 31, The Right to Health No. 31. Available from: https://www.refworld.org/docid/48625a742.html [Accessed 12 October 2023]
