[Blog] We must stop this genocide and reach peace for Gaza

1.    Aim: We must stop this genocide and reach peace for Gaza.

2.    The reality: A monstrous genocide is currently happening on this Earth, in Gaza. The perpetrators, Israel, will not stop the destruction and killing, and no one else so far has intervened strongly enough to stop it.

3.    International Court of Justice ruling: There was a great step for humanity: the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled for South Africa, condemning Israel to take all steps to stop and prevent genocide in Gaza. The ruling does not have binding effects, Israel did nothing, ignored the ruling, making it an illegal, unlawful state.

4.    The facts: 57,000 people murdered by Israel since October 2023. 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. The final act in their Final
Solution is to occupy the entire Gaza area and, as has started, move all people to homelessness, hunger and eventual death. This action of Israel constitutes a war crime and genocide. It is a monstrous genocide of human beings for baseless political reasons, carried out with guns and missiles mainly provided by the USA. Condemn this genocide! By remaining silent states, their PM and governments are guilty of complicity. (Or by beating about the bush like US President Trump does)

About 1,500 Israelis were killed during the same period, with 50 hostages still held by Hamas and around 1,000 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails.

5.    Genocide: The world has known a few genocides, of Tutsis in Rwanda, of 6 million Jews by the Nazis, of Native Americans to name but a few. Humanity, the human civilization of this 21st century, cannot just continue to sit and witness this present genocide of a people. Genocide, you remember, means elimination of a people, a civilization, a country, by one or more murderous groups. I personally remember the worst sentence I ever heard, namely the call by one of the Hutu leaders on Radio Mille Collines in Kigali in 1992, urging their people to go to all villages to kill Tutsis, “n’oubliez pas les femmes et les enfants.”

Since October 2023, 60% of those killed by Israel in the violence in Gaza are women and children. The marks of genocide by Israel on the population of Gaza: Since October 2023, 60% of those killed in the violence are women and children, and there are over one million children in dire need nutritionally. These include 2-year-old babies, all labelled by the Israeli army as “terrorists.” Children bear a disproportionate burden of the crisis. 

Beyond the immediate physical dangers, the psychological trauma of constant displacement, loss of family members, and disrupted education can create lasting impacts that will affect an entire generation.

Over 90% of homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, leaving most Palestinians without a permanent and safe place to live. People are seeking refuge in tents or makeshift shelters that fail to provide safety or dignity and are continually (purposefully!) moved by the Israeli army.

Civilians injured in the conflict and those suffering from everyday health problems are increasingly unable to access basic care. More than half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are only partially functional—and they’re understaffed, lacking proper medical supplies, and overwhelmed with patients.

With the use of food distribution as a “weapon,” the daily killing amounts to 30, 50, 70 deaths.

With the end of June Israeli order to evacuate part of North Gaza, the genocide continues. (The well-rehearsed method used by Hitler: move people from this house/home and oblige them to move, gathered into specific areas, camps. Then came the gas chambers and extermination.)

Perpetrated by the state of Israel, largely with American weapons supplied free to them or purchased by Israel with American money (14 billion US dollars given to Israel by the USA in 2024).

The 1941 Final Solution was a plan orchestrated by Nazi Germany during World War II to eliminate all Jews. The 2022–25 Final Solution is a plan orchestrated by Israel. In both cases, the final aim is the elimination, by murder or starvation, of an entire population (the Jews in Hitler’s plan, the Palestinians in Netanyahu’s plan).

6.    Immediate action is necessary. We all must act to stop this present pogrom of Palestinians in Gaza, now! Already 57,000 people have been murdered.

So, we invite, we urge the governments of all states of the world, all 191 countries, all members of the United Nations must now issue a warning to the state of Israel for:

•    An immediate ceasefire
•    The free flow of food and medical aid into Gaza
•    Gradual retreat of Israeli troops (after action required from Hamas are fully completed)
•    With external aid the reconstruction of Gaza: its habitats, roads, hospitals, schools, production system, trade and policing
•    Clean drinking water through water trucking
•    Urgent re-upgrade of all hospitals, sanitation, and hygiene services—including building emergency latrines
•    Direct cash assistance to help families meet their urgent needs

From Hamas side: the immediate release of all hostages held as well as return if any of bodies of those who died in custody. The formal replacement of the name and constitution of Hamas as an organization by the PPP (Palestine Peoples Party) or alternative appellation with as main organizational objective the governance and development of independent Gaza and Palestine. With the same membership and responsibilities such as that of the Ministry of Health etc.

All 191 countries to now issue a warning to the state of Israel for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and other necessary actions. (With a warning of complete isolation, trade, and communication sanctions to Israel if it does not act now.)

Strong and coordinated action from all states to block off Israel (financially, air and sea communications, export and import, banking, supply of all weapons or part thereof, etc. with the message that Israel does the following now (these embargoes would be lifted as soon as the required actions are started and completed).

An equally definite warning to the Hamas of Gaza for an immediate release of all hostages and other complete ceasefire action.

Calling for a UN General Assembly resolution for Israel, its Prime Minister Netanyahu, and government to be sued for war crimes if, let’s say by 4th of August 2025, all above are not achieved.

As indeed the world would have done to Hitler in 1945 i.e. capture and sue him for war crimes (as was done for his main lieutenants and to Mussolini) had Hitler not ended his own life.

The two-state solution is the proposed long-term approach to permanently resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, by creating two states on the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine, details to be worked out with, for instance, assistance from the UN, USA, EU, the Arab States, India and China.

7.    Some additional consideration for achieving peace in Gaza

Apart from actions required from Israel and from Hamas, as detailed above, the international community and UN can set up a Palestine Reconstruction Fund (PRF), perhaps based in Saudi Arabia or Doha for the reconstruction of Palestine, including a link road between Gaza and the West Bank, the return of all Israeli colons from the West Bank to that part of the West Bank given to Israel as balance for the land used for the new road from Gaza to West Bank.

Plus, developments such as a new airport (let’s say in the West Bank) and a new seaport in Gaza. As well as developments (reconstruction of roads, houses, building of hotels and resorts on the Gaza sea-strip as a sort of new Gaza Riviera etc. which will both give work to people and upgrade Gaza. Gradual and assisted opening of all schools, universities, production farms, commerce etc.

Additionally: Israel and Gaza can build a road for free travel from Gaza to the West Bank. The loss of land to be compensated by giving an equal area of West Bank land to Israel, as well as the return of all settlers in the West Bank back to Israel.

8.    The PM of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu

If you had to forecast which leader of any of the 194 countries of the world could be the new 21st century Hitler, would you have thought of the Jewish leader of Israel?

A few months after Hitler formally declared the Shoah (Holocaust), the arrest and putting to death of all Jews, several leaders and others in Germany, realising the depth of the incoming genocide, voiced (or out of fear did not voice) their objections. Nothing doing, Hitler and other Nazi leaders pursued their elimination policy.

Brazil’s president, Lula da Silva, speaking at the 37th African Union Summit compared Israel’s actions in the war against Hamas to the Holocaust, in which Nazis killed six million Jews. “What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments,” but “it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.” The UN Security Council, the ICJ, the EU, Egypt and other Arab states voiced their concern about a possible coming genocide of the people of Gaza by Israel. After almost 30,000 deaths. Nothing doing, Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders pursue their elimination policy.

Hitler gave as reason the need for more space for his people (Lebensraum). Israel specifically wants the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. If necessary, by first destroying all housing infrastructure, hospitals, schools, water, and food supplies, thereby starting the elimination of the people of Gaza, men, women and children.

Netanyahu: “Humanitarianism is the expression of stupidity and cowardice”; “Success is the sole earthly judge of right and wrong”; “When we have won the war, who will question our methods?”

9.    The struggle for independence

The continued non-recognition of Palestine by Israel, its people living under siege for the last 50 years. The ‘imprisonment’ of the Palestinian people till today, denied return to their land, denied the 2-state solution—one being an independent Palestine. Israel cites the condemnable 7th October attack by Hamas which killed 1,200 innocent Israelis. Like Hitler cited the takeover of the German economy by the Jews for him to continue eliminating all Jews, from 1940 to 1945, till 6 million of them were criminally killed.

Many human groups have in the past launched a struggle (in some cases a war) for their liberation and the establishment of an independent country. 

For example, the American war of independence against the British. In India, the struggles for independence from Britain was led by Gandhi and Nehru. In the 20th century, African independence movements were witnessed, as a wave of struggles for independence from European/colonialist rule. For example, Kenya, led by Jomo Kenyatta, Algeria for its liberation from France, Mozambique and Angola for liberation from Portuguese rule, Malagasy nationalists revolt against the French as from March 1947, Eritrea from being an Italian colony from 1890 to 1941, then having to struggle against domination by Ethiopia, Namibia against German rule, South Africa led by Nelson Mandela against internal apartheid rule – and so many others.

Now, let us—let the world—recognise the ongoing struggle/war of the Palestinian people for their land, freedom and independence from Israeli control and rule. Side by side with the peaceful existence of Israel free from attacks. Including the rights of the 700,000 Palestinians now living in foreign countries, a figure not far from the total number of Jewish immigrants of 482,900 who came and created the state of Israel in 1948.

Dr Michael Atchia
(Ex Programme Director, UNEP; Ex President, Mauritius Academy of Science & Technology; D.Sc. University of Salford, Manchester)
mklatchia@intnet.mu
27th July 2025