Israel's Bombs May Have Stopped, But the Genocide Is Not Over
'Diana, sorry to bother you. Can you help me find my friend? He was last seen on his way to Rafah...'
“Diana, sorry to bother you. Can you help me find my friend? He was last seen on his way to Rafah to help rescue people from beneath the rubble, and did not return. Can you check to see if he is being held in Sde Teiman?
“Diana spread the word to find my relatives. They were last seen near Kamal Adwan hospital. We do not know if they are dead or alive. If you have contact with the lawyers who are visiting the prison or with the ICRC please ask them.”
These are just some of the many messages I received from friends in Gaza in the immediate aftermath of the commencement of the “ceasefire” on Jan. 19. Friends, finally relieved that Israeli bombs have stopped dropping on their heads, are now in the midst of processing what they have experienced during the past 15 months of Israel’s genocide. Israel has killed more than 47,400 Palestinians – likely a vast undercount – and injured more than 111,500 others. Just as Palestinians in Gaza broadcast the genocide side – documenting it for the entire world to see – so too they are documenting what it means for this phase of the genocide to end – and another to begin.
The Genocide Continues
Yes, Israel’s bombs have stopped, but the genocide is not over. With a destroyed and collapsed healthcare system, we will continue to see more Palestinians die, as they are unable to get the treatment necessary to be able to survive the devastation that Israel (with US bombs and help, of course) meted out against them. Israel’s bombs targeted virtually all hospitals leaving only half of Gaza’s hospitals partially – not fully – functional and with thousands in need of medical care. Gaza is now the site of the most child amputees in the world.
But it isn’t just the collapse of the medical system. Israel has targeted all of the Gaza Strip. No place was safe; no place remains unaffected, and it’s unclear if the extremely fragile, three-phase ceasefire deal will even lead to an end to the 15-month war (many expect it won't). Israeli leaders made it clear throughout their bombing campaign that they intended to make Gaza unlivable. In voicing his opposition to the ceasefire arrangement, ultranationalist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich – never one to miss an opportunity to show how racist and fascist he is – took to social media to assure his supporters that Gaza “is ruined and disintegrated, uninhabitable, and it will remain that way. Don't be impressed by the forced joy of our enemy. This is an animalistic society that sanctifies death. Very soon, we will erase their smile again and replace it with cries of grief and the wails of those who were left with nothing.”
He isn’t wrong about the destruction. Satellite images from the northern city of Beit Hanoun show the extent of Israel’s destruction – and its cruelty.