As the month of March settles in, Gaza is approaching the 6-month mark of sustained genocide. With each passing day, the war crimes Israel commits intensify, and the death toll of Palestinian martyrs skyrockets.
On February 29, the Israeli occupation forces opened fire on a large gathering of Palestinians waiting for aid trucks to distribute flour and canned goods. This calculated massacre occurred after months of a manmade famine, which Israel incited in an attempt to starve Gazans to death. The slaughter was promptly coined the ‘Flour Massacre.’
Hundreds of Palestinians in dire need of aid congregated at al-Rashid Street at 4:30 am under the guise that aid trucks would finally enter Gaza after weeks of an aid drought. The occupation forces began firing into the crowd from all angles, aiming to murder as many people as possible. Al Jazeera’s Ismail al-Ghoul reported live from the scene, stating that “after opening fire, Israeli tanks advanced and ran over many of the dead and injured bodies.”
The death toll was catastrophic: at least 112 Palestinians were announced dead, with another 760 injured due to the indiscriminate shooting, confirmed the Palestinian Health Ministry. Hospitals in Gaza are not equipped to handle the influx of wounded and dead as they, too, have been continuous targets of Israel’s neverending aggression. Ambulances were not able to enter the area due to the damage and chaos Israel created, as streets leading to the scene of the massacre had been destroyed by tanks. Videos surfaced of individuals using donkey carts to transfer martyrs and injured people to nearby hospitals.
The genocidal state of Israel crafted a lie, stating that a ‘stampede’ took place at the aid distribution site, causing a large death toll. This was debunked as there is video footage of an Israeli drone filming the densely packed street as the crime unfolds. Additionally, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital reported that a large number of fatalities at the Flour massacre had gunshot wounds to their upper body, showing the Israeli occupation forces’ intent to kill.
Eyewitness accounts confirm Israel’s premeditated massacre. Jihad Rajab, a survivor of the Flour massacre said, “As soon as the trucks entered the area, Israeli forces started firing heavily, resulting in the killing and wounding of scores of people. The occupation did not spare us, and they deliberately fired at us as we were awaiting the aid convoy,” reports the Palestine Chronicle.
Amongst some of the most frustrating aspects of witnessing constant massacres and war crimes at the hands of Zionists is the Western media's refusal to acknowledge the truth. Since the start of Israel’s extermination campaign, genocide denial, and passive voice have been the Western media’s go-to combination in reference to Palestine.
An analysis by The Cradle presented that Western media is whitewashing Israel’s crimes in Gaza by omitting Israel from headlines. Major news outlets such as CNN and the New York Times are directly aiding and abetting Israel in genocide by covering up Israel’s atrocities and publishing Zionist propaganda that vilifies and dehumanizes Palestinians.
In response to a passive headline from the New York Times, human rights attorney Noura Erakat tweeted, “You’re so dishonest @nytimes. You sound more like lawyers for Israel, telling us twisted stories rather than journalists. Israeli troops have demonstrated a practice of shooting at humanitarian convoys as well as Palestinians from sea and land. Just say it.”
Without accountability, Israel is further emboldened to commit war crimes with a shield of protection from world leaders and those who are meant to disseminate information to the public. We are seeing the consequences of these actions take root quickly as the occupation forces have already gone on another rampage, opening fire on Palestinians searching for aid once again on March 3. This time, the attack occurred in Deir al-Balah, where at least 9 Palestinians were killed in the second aid massacre of the week.
It is clear that the few aid convoys able to enter the besieged Gaza Strip are simply used as bait to eliminate as many Palestinians as rapidly as possible. The alternative that Israel has permitted for Palestinians in Gaza is to experience prolonged and painful starvation. Multiple children in Gaza have been murdered by Israeli-imposed starvation, like 9-year-old Yazan Kafarnah, who died from malnutrition.
The horrors that are unfolding in Gaza are worse than the human mind can comprehend. With each passing day, the pain and suffering of Palestinians deepen as the Zionist entity is granted unlimited immunity. This criminal behavior has manifested out of decades of unchecked God complexes promoted by the Israeli state and its allies. What society do we live in if we allow people to operate with a level of superiority that starves children to death and murders their parents for seeking aid?
