An Ordeal & Indifference

Gaza continues to bleed at the hands of Israel, with excessive bombings killing even children and women in a spree of reckless violence that has ashamed humanity

- DIPANKAR DEY

Gaza has become a graveyard for children and families. Children in different parts of the Gaza Strip were reportedly killed while sheltering inside their tents or desperately queuing for a piece of bread amid a rapidly worsening food crisis. The lives of all children are virtually at risk or have been shattered by unimaginable trauma, loss, and deprivation. Their safety and access to essential humanitarian aid are not being facilitated, as explicitly demanded by international law, a statement by UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Edouard Beigbeder says.

The latest death toll (as on June 10) stands at 62,614 for Palestinians and 1,139 for Israelis in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, when an assault by Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel, and some 250 people were taken to Gaza as hostages. In revenge, Israel launched a ground and air offensive and is committing unrestrained genocide in Gaza—a tiny Palestinian enclave of 150 square miles.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized a Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists, arrived at an Israeli port on Monday after Israeli forces stopped and detained them, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory. Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was among those on board. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies towards the Palestinians. She was among six French citizens on board. French President Emmanuel Macron called for consular protection and the repatriation of the French citizens.