[Blog] Grace for Gaza, Gutted by Genocide

How can the world, us all humans, stand by and allow Israel to continue perpetrating this genocide of Palestinians, as most of the world did in the 1940s when Hitler did the same to the Jewish people?

“To all the earth: Peace be with you. Building bridges, dialogue, for peace in the world.” (Pope Leo XIV, 8th May 2025)

The war was triggered by the continued occupation of Gaza and other parts of Palestine by Israel since 1947. Then the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, more than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, over 30% of them women and children — like this child of 2 years old murdered by the Israeli army, which dubbed anyone they kill as being a “terrorist.” The Gaza Health Ministry says 1,600 people have been killed in March and April 2025, after the ceasefire was ended by Israel.

“War is a Defeat.” On 29th April 2025, THE DAY BEFORE HE DIED, during his Angelus address, Pope Francis called for a ceasefire in Gaza. He emphasized that “War is always a defeat! Every war is a defeat!” Take the Courageous Paths to Peace.

Israel is attempting the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza by destroying most schools, most hospitals, most housing, most roads, most production systems, and attempting to starve the population of Gaza/Palestine.

We mourn the 52,000 Palestinians, including 20,000 WOMEN and CHILDREN killed in the last 24 months, also more than 100,000 people injured, and the more than 12,000 missing. We also mourn the toll on Israelis killed, numbering 1,200. A sad tragedy of human wickedness. Now, of course, the UN agencies and all nations in the area (Egypt, Doha, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and others) as well as those outside WILL ASSIST in the movement to feed the Gaza people (reduced to starvation by Israel in its genocide attempt) and start the reconstruction of habitats, schools, hospitals, production and commercial structures, roads, and communications, etc. In fact, to rebuild all.

All states must now support and indeed put pressure on Israel TO STOP IMMEDIATELY THE KILLING BY GUNS AND MISSILES, THE KILLING OF GAZAENS — MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN AND BABIES — BY STARVATION and the destruction of schools, hospitals, supplies, housing and other infrastructures.

A TRULY MONSTROUS GENOCIDE AND STARVATION OF HUMAN BEINGS FOR BASELESS POLITICAL REASONS, carried out with guns and missiles mainly provided by the USA.

This action of Israel CONSTITUTES A WAR CRIME AND GENOCIDE.

ACTIONS NOW REQUIRED:

The rest of the world CAN and MUST now pressurize Israel to stop the war. All our laws make injury to other beings a crime, make murder of other humans a crime, make genocide (actions to eliminate completely a given population) a MONSTROUS CRIME against humanity.

THEREFORE, WE CANNOT CONTINUE LIVING in quietness, applying our laws if we (all nations of the world) stand by and sanction this genocide without acting.

FROM HAMAS: A COMPLETE CEASEFIRE FROM THEIR SIDE. The release of all Israeli hostages as well as the release by Israel of all Palestinian political prisoners. A process of independence for Palestine, Gaza, and the West Bank. A process that Hamas can help by dissolving itself under its present armed forces constitution and reforming itself as, for example, a PPP (Palestine Political Party), devoted entirely to rebuilding Palestine and its efficient governance.

ISRAEL AND ITS LEADER, already recognized by the International Criminal Court as guilty of war crimes, MUST NOW IMMEDIATELY STOP THIS GENOCIDE, REMOVE THEIR TROOPS FROM THE PORT AND PASSAGE AND ALLOW FOOD TO COME IN, and, most importantly, let the human beings in that strip of land (Gaza) move to where they need, rebuild their infrastructure and reorganize their lives.

A DIFFICULT PROCESS OF DIALOGUE AND AGREEMENT THAT NEEDS THE SUPPORT OF ALL STATES OF THE WORLD, namely the USA, the EU, India and China, the Arab states, African states, Asian states and all other 192 states of the world, under the aegis of the UNITED NATIONS.

Then the rebuilding of Gaza can start in earnest and the 2 states CAN live in peace.

Dr Michael ATCHIA
(Former United Nations Programme Director)
[mklatchia@intnet.mu]
14 May 2025.