Israel Should Be Resisted from Killing Civilians in Gaza

 

On October 7, the Palestinian independence organization Hamas launched an unprecedented rocket attack on Israel from Gaza. The sudden rise of Hamas is considered a huge military setback and political disaster for Israel. Because their modern technology and boasting detectives never stop being amazed. The trust and confidence of its citizens in the Israeli military has also been severely eroded, and many Israelis are fleeing the country in fear and that is why, to cover up their own failure, the Zionist occupying power, Israel, has been indiscriminately attacking innocent safe people in Gaza for 40 days, killing and destroying, and a storm of condemnation has arisen around the world. The unconscious patients, women and newborn children are not safe from their barbaric attacks. The illegal occupying power Israel is engaged in a hellish massacre and destruction and is directly supported by the so-called human rights bully hegemonic US and its allies.

Israel declared an all-out war on October 7 following a surprise attack by Hamas. At first it was an air attack, but later it turned into a ground attack. That being said, the Air Force is given a long list of potential targets for strikes that also include many non-combat related locations. Hundreds of Palestinians are killed every day in these large-scale, costly, show-of-force attacks. Tel Aviv initially released the report citing the number of airstrikes. However, this information was immediately changed to reveal only the number of targets for fear of adversely affecting international diplomatic relations.

 In a statement, Hamas said occupying power Israel had completely destroyed 41,000 housing units in the besieged Gaza. Initial damage to housing and infrastructure is estimated at two billion US dollars. In addition, 1.5 million Palestinians have been displaced to escape Israeli attacks. In the ongoing 35-day war between Israel and Hamas, Israel has dropped 32,000 tons of bombs in the besieged Gaza Strip, according to international media reports. More than 12,000 Palestinians and more than 4,700 children have already been killed in Gaza.

According to information released by the Gaza Public Relations Department on October 30, Israel dropped more than 18,000 tons of bombs in the besieged Gaza in the first 24 days. According to that, Israel dropped an average of at least 50 tons or 50,000 kg of explosives per square kilometer of Gaza in just 24 days. This amount of explosives is capable of causing at least one and a half times more damage than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. Moreover, Israeli forces dropped at least 12,000 tons of bombs on Gaza from October 23 to 30, that is almost equal to the damage caused by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan during World War II.

The statistics of the Israeli attacks published a few days ago show that about 12,000 targets in Gaza have been attacked, but in order to cover up their own failures, the statistics do not mention their tactics. It is easy to guess from the number of bombs, how expensive and terrible this attack of Tel Aviv used in Gaza! Tel Aviv has dropped at least 32,000 tons of bombs on Gaza in the past few days, most of which the Palestinian Authority claims are US-made MK-80s. The US has been using these bombs since the Vietnam War. Its weight ranges from 120 kg to 1000 kg. In addition, most of the fighter jets used in the attack were also supplied by the United States. Israel has already acknowledged receiving 40 F-35 fighters out of the 75 promised from the ally.

According to the report of the international media Al Jazeera, Israel is dropping 600 tons of bombs in Gaza every day, and at least 30 large trucks are needed to transport these bombs. Each 1,000 kg bomb costs the US Air Force 16,000 dollars. On the other hand, Israel has to spend 25,000 dollars per 1,000 kg of bombs excluding other technical costs. Early stage bombing alone costs Tel Aviv an average of $15 million per day. In this case, if the amount is increased, then this cost will stand at $25 million dollars per day. According to statistics, about 750 million dollars have been spent since the beginning of the conflict. In addition, the cost of flying F-16 aircraft is eight thousand dollars per hour per flight. If an average warplane makes 300 flights per day, its cost is $2.5 million dollars per hour. According to this calculation, Israel has to spend about $75 million dollars to fly F-16 aircraft. To this must be added the skyrocketing costs of surveillance, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, airborne early warning vehicles and other areas required to sustain the bombing. Moreover, Israel has so far spent at least $2 billion on bombing Gaza, and the number could be much higher. Added to this is the cost of 360,000 reserve troops, which excludes the cost of ground attacks in the ongoing war.

According to the Geneva Convention, attacks on religious institutions, educational institutions and other civilian establishments are strictly prohibited. But Israel says Hamas fighters are sheltering in or around the buildings, that is why the Israeli forces have made these buildings targets and committed genocide. The Israeli army has completely wiped out 908 families in Gaza, meaning that no members of these families who were victims of Israeli brutality are left alive. Almost 85 government buildings were destroyed in the attack by the Israeli forces. Besides, 47 mosques, 3 churches have also been destroyed. Out of 2 lakh residential buildings destroyed or damaged, 32 thousand are uninhabitable. 203 schools were damaged in the Israeli attack. Out of these 45 schools are no longer able to run any kind of activities.

Not only that, but this time, the barbaric Israeli army entered Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza on November 15 and committed a massacre! The sick, women and newborn children are not safe from them. Israel has also confirmed that it is conducting an operation against Hamas in Al-Shifa Hospital. However, it has been published in the international media that the United States has encouraged Israel to carry out this attack. On the other hand, a doctor in Al-Shifa confirmed to international media that Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered the hospital campus.

The director of Al-Shifa Hospital told the international media, "The situation in the hospital is very heartbreaking. More than 650 patients are now in the hospital. There are 500 doctors and health workers, about 5,000 Palestinians displaced by Israeli attacks have also taken shelter in the hospital premises. In this situation we don't have water and oxygen. Israeli tanks are positioned around al-Shifa hospital. Soldiers are roaming the hospital. From time to time, raids are carried out and the army destroys the water supply system. Moreover, due to raids, no one is able to move from one building to another. We can't even communicate with our colleagues now. We fell apart.'

Thousands of civilians, including patients and medical staff at Gaza's largest medical facility, are said to have taken shelter in and around the hospital. However, Hamas has denied using the hospital for its operations and has called for an international committee to inspect the matter. Israeli forces surrounded al-Shifa hospital with tanks before the attack. There are hundreds of patients inside this hospital; Many of them include newborn babies. Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City has been reduced to "almost a graveyard," the World Health Organization said. Bodies are piled up inside and outside the hospital premises. Even their burial is not possible. More than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in the Israeli aggression that has been going on for about a month and a half in Gaza. Even the hospital is not safe from the attack. Already, medical services in 26 of Gaza's 35 hospitals have been closed.

The charity organization Save the Children says a child dies every 10 minutes in Gaza. Also, one out of every three people injured is a child. Meanwhile, according to the United Nations, nearly 9,700 civilians have died since Russia's full-scale military operation in Ukraine began 21 months ago. As it turns out, Israel has killed more Palestinian civilians in this month than Russia has killed in Ukraine since February 2022. In total, at least 2.3 million people in Gaza are facing an extreme humanitarian crisis. The United Nations says no place in Gaza is safe, even as everyone moves south to escape the brutal, infernal massacres and destruction.


Md. Zillur Rahaman is a banker
and a columnist.