The Israel bombings during last night and this morning have turned Gaza into hell of death and destruction, the worst since the conflict began in October 7. Tension spreads through the region. American imperialism pretends to be “humanitarian” and victimizes the genocidal culprits while it strengthens its military presence. Authorities of the European Union warn about the possible arrival of desperate immigrants. Palestinians resist for their lives in the worst imaginable conditions
Monday, October 23
After a night of terror, 51% of houses in Gaza have been destroyed. 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half of the population, have no home. Casualties in Gaza surpass 5,000, more than 2,000 of them are children.
Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza, with capacity for 700 patients, treats about 5,000 and houses 45,000 internally displaced people sheltered in the facility. It is “on the verge of collapse” due to lack of electricity, medicines, equipment and staff. The other health centers are in the same situation. Almost every government in the world cynically “clamors” for the delivery of humanitarian aid, but only 54 trucks have arrived in Gaza in three days.
There is continuous shelling near Al-Quds Hospital. Lack of fuel endangers the lives of 130 newborns in incubators at Al-Aqsa Hospital. The Indonesian hospital in the northern Gaza Strip was completely without electricity and the lives of hundreds of patients are in danger.
There are already 12 hospitals and 32 health facilities out of service since the beginning of the Israeli attack. A spokesperson from the Ministry of Health in Gaza said to Al Jazeera: “We have at least 48 hours until all the electricity generators stop (…) The health system in the Strip has reached the worst moment of its history.”
In the last two weeks 4,000 Palestinians from Gaza with jobs in Israel have been detained/abducted without their whereabouts known, another 17,000 people had their work permits revoked. Several thousand people had to move to the occupied West Bank and many have been detained. Shooting by Israeli soldiers resulted in the death of two young men and four wounded in the Yalazon refugee camp. The Palestinian news agency Wafa identified more dead and wounded from an Israeli raid.
The United Nations called for an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza.
The White House spokesman uncharacteristically stated, “This is not the right time for a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza.”
Hamas released two more hostages, women aged 79 and 85, “on humanitarian grounds” and “in exchange for nothing”.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared: “we are preparing thoroughly for the next step: a multilateral air, land and sea operation”.
The United States cynically expressed “relief” over the already insignificant inflow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, while asking Israel to postpone the ground invasion only until it completes the deployment of its forces to the region. The Pentagon increased its military presence in the region with the THADD anti-aircraft defense system and more Patriot missiles, in addition to the two aircraft carriers anchored off the coasts of Israel and Lebanon. The exchange of accusations and threats with Iran increases the tension.
China, for its part, has already deployed six warships in the Middle East.
With the continuation of attacks on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the highest tension there since 2006 is being experienced. 54 Israeli settlements have already been completely evacuated of settlers, 28 of them on the Lebanese border.
This morning Israel attacked for the third time the international airports of Damascus and Aleppo. Syria says they will surely spread violence in the region. Egyptian guards are wounded after an attack on a tank and a checkpoint in Kerem Shalom that the Israelis defined as “accidental”. Hamas claimed that yesterday, in southern Gaza, it faced the incursion of an armored force to which it destroyed military equipment.
Three US bases were attacked in Syria with drones and missiles. The simultaneous attack, claimed by Iraqi militias, forced Biden to abandon a press conference.
Biden, Macron, Trudeau, Meloni, Sunak and Scholz held a telephone conversation on the conflict. Netherlands Acting Prime Minister Mark Rutte traveled to the Middle East to meet with Netanyahu and Abbas, Macron will travel tomorrow. China’s special envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, is touring the region in the face of China’s concern over the spread of the conflict. All are operating to look after their imperialist interests, none to guarantee humanitarian aid and stop Israeli killings.
Greek authorities declared themselves on “alert” for the “risk” of a sudden influx of migrants fleeing the war into the European Union. The builders of “Fortress Europe” paint their faces as humanitarians to hide the fact that they are the same miserable people they have always been in the face of the human drama of migration forced by wars and hunger. On the border between Iraq and Jordan, thousands of young people are demonstrating demanding to continue their march towards Palestine.
Continuing with the global trend of demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine, thousands of Muslim Mexicans and activists in favor of Palestine also demonstrated in Mexico to demand that the government condemn the genocide.
