They died under the rubble so that hopefully, the living can enjoy a just and lasting peace

Mar 02, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

Behind the collective punishment of Palestinians at Gaza and the Occupied West Bank by Israel, there will be many untold stories about the 30,000 civilian deaths; 70,000 wounded; of 4,500 prisoners 350 held in administrative detention; an increase by 20-35 percent in deaths of premature born babies; the death of 50,000 physically disabled persons; the birth 20,000 babies during the war; the killing of more than 10,000 children; 25,000 ‘unaccompanied’ children or orphans; more than half a million students without schools, more than a hundred massacred in a desperate race for food; more than 2,780 widowed women; 1.9 million displaced persons; a population density of 14,000 persons for every 2.59 square metres or one square mile; destruction of buildings, hospitals, schools, and religious institutions; hundreds of kilometers of roads dug up; 300,000 who would have walked for 9 hours from Northern to Southern Gaza; blocking food and medicine; children eating food unfit for human consumption; 50,000 suffering from respiratory infections, meningitis, skin rashes, scabies, lice infestation, hepatitis, chicken pox, cholera and typhoid.

During Israel’s war on Gaza, we’ve read or viewed episodes about Israeli Defence Force (IDF) soldiers digging up hundreds of graves of slain Palestinians and carting off the corpses to unknown locations to determine their true identities.

Israel’s top military’s lawyer on February 21, 2024, reported that her office had discovered ‘’unacceptable conduct by Israeli forces in Gaza, including some that appeared criminal, and warned that commanders must prevent unjustified force and destruction or plunder of civilian property.’’

She went on to add; that “inappropriate statements that encourage unacceptable phenomena; the application of non-operationally justified force, including on detainees; looting, which includes the use or disposal of private property that doesn’t serve an operational use; and the destruction of civilian property against orders.”

At the same time, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor reported receiving ‘dozens of horrific testimonies about the IDF’s practice of sadistic abuse, torture, and inhuman treatment, including severe beatings, abuse, humiliation, and attacks on personal dignity, against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip after storming their homes, shelter centers, or on the roads.’

News reports have emerged informing that; approximately 600 Israeli soldiers have been killed; over 1,600 Israeli soldiers have suffered from signs of stress, shell shock, and combat fatigue and have been treated by ‘Combat Fatigue Teams’ established immediately since the start of the war.

IDF reported that approximately 3,000 soldiers and reservist soldiers called the IDF’s mental health hotline, and over 100 soldiers have been discharged from service due to psychological difficulties. Moreover, according to IDF sources, most of the soldiers sought treatment in the first four weeks after October 7, 2023 and long before the start of the ground operation in the Gaza.

Israel’s war on Gaza is likely to end with major geopolitical repercussions in the Middle East. Moreover, it is unlikely that Israel will succeed in achieving its declared goals in that war. In fact, it is likely to end up isolated within the international community.

Failure to establish a Palestinian state will remain the greatest obstacle to peace in the Middle East. Achieving a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue will require joint initiatives and cooperation between Iran, Russia, Turkey, the United States and Western Europe. From its seat at the UN Security Council, Guyana can contribute positively to a joint initiative that can ensure that those who perished under the rubble died in order that the living can, hopefully, enjoy a just and lasting peace.

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