Violence is integral to settler colonialism, serving as a tool to erase indigenous populations.
By Lara Kilani
lara@goodshepherdcollective.org
The genocide hasn't stopped
I’m writing to you on day 271 since October 7, the start of Al Aqsa Flood, following which Israel launched its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza. News from the ground in Gaza only gets more horrifying as Israel’s genocide continues, fully funded, supported, and coordinated with the US, Germany, UK, and other imperial states. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the rest of Occupied Palestine, systematic invasions, abductions, and general violence against Palestinians continue to rise. What follows are a few updates, recommendations for some of the literature we’ve been reading over the last couple of weeks, and two action items to support Palestinians in Gaza.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced earlier today that Israel committed 3 massacres in the Gaza Strip over 24 hours, murdering at least 28 Palestinians and wounding at least 125. This brings the number of confirmed and identified Palestinian martyrs to 37,953 and the number of known wounded to 87,266. It’s essential to remember that these numbers are undercounts and likely vast undercounts. Thousands of Palestinians remain under the rubble of buildings bombed by Israel, abducted or disappeared into Israeli military prisons/torture camps, or on the streets with civil defense teams and ambulances unable to reach them due to Israel’s ongoing genocidal violence and the US-Israeli siege which prevents adequate fuel for the heavy equipment required to rescue these people. The only martyrs included in the official count are people who were brought to the remaining functioning hospitals, and who have been identified by their names and ID numbers. This means that even many of those who were found buried in mass graves — such as those uncovered at Al Shifa Medical Complex — are not included in this official count unless they have been identified.
Palestinians in Gaza are not only dying from Israel’s violent invasion and bombing campaigns. As others have pointed out, the more than 2 million people trapped in the concentration camp Israel has made of Gaza are being subjected to an organized forced starvation. The UN World Food Programme reported in December 2023 that 9 out of 10 Palestinians in Gaza were not even eating 1 meal per 24 hours. More recently, the UN has reported that 96% of Palestinians in Gaza face acute food insecurity. This translates to roughly 2.15 million people who do not have regular access to safe food and water. Susan Abulhawa relates to murder by starvation, as well as many other forms of murder Palestinians are experiencing in Gaza, in her article, which we recommend below. She suggests that the death toll since October 7 is several times higher than the official statistics.
In Khan Younis, Israeli forces imposed an order to evacuate the European Hospital as well as other areas in the eastern part of the city. This has resulted in the forced displacement of tent camps in Khan Younis, including people who were already forcibly displaced from tent camps in Rafah ahead of Israel’s violent invasion and attack on the “safe zone”. More than 1.9 million people in Gaza are currently internally and forcibly displaced from their homes. Of these, some 70% are refugees from other parts of Palestine. At the European Hospital, which is one of the few remaining functional hospitals in central Gaza, patients, including those in intensive care and babies in incubators, were hurriedly transferred to other hospitals. This decision was informed by Israel’s continuous, horrific, and war crime-riddled assaults on hospitals throughout Gaza, from Al Shifa Medical Complex to Nasser Medical Complex. The European Hospital is no longer providing any services to avoid an invasion following the evacuation orders. Targeting hospitals and medical professionals is a war crime.
Meanwhile, the director of Al Shifa Medical Complex, Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, was finally released from Israeli occupation prisons/torture camps following seven months of torture and abuse. He reported horrific, daily torture, abuse, and neglect, as well as physical assaults by Israeli doctors. In a letter to PM Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the head of the Shin Bet acknowledged that Israel holds approximately 21,000 Palestinians in its occupation prisons/torture camps at this moment. It was previously believed that only approximately 9,000-10,000 Palestinians were being held by the settler state. This means that 21,000 people are being subjected to unimaginable conditions right now by Israeli jailers, who have murdered at least 54 Palestinians held in occupation prisons/torture camps since October 7 through torture and inhumane conditions, 36 of whom were abducted from Gaza.
There is so much more newsworthy of reporting, but perhaps it is most important that we remind our friends and partners in this work of the importance of our role in ending this genocide and demanding decolonization in Palestine, now. We all have agency over what we accept and what lines we choose to draw, and whether it is donating to the fundraisers for Palestinians in Gaza, adopting one of these campaigns, organizing protests, or creating a set of principles that local organizations should follow regarding anti-zionist efforts, materially disrupting injustice, or insisting that a just world is possible, there is always something we can contribute.
Action items: Please consider adopting and fundraising for one of the verified campaigns available here. You can also donate an eSIM to ensure that Palestinians in Gaza have access to communication services, not only to share what is going on with the world but most importantly to remain connected to their families and friends in Gaza.
Below are some of the latest articles we have been reading, and which we recommend for thoughtful engagement in this moment:
- Math proves that Israel’s stated goals are an epic lie, Susan Abulhawa
- Running Amok, Mary Turfah You can also find a discussion of this piece here.
- Refusing the Language of Silence, Omar Zahzah
- The psychology of oppression and liberation, Hamza Hamouchene
As new members of the Canadian BDS Coalition, we are also uplifting these critical resources:
- A Critical Report on Canadian Settler Groups, and
- Details about Mizrahi Canada’s Funding of War Crimes, Just Peace Advocates
Lastly, the Good Shepherd Collectively rejects large grants from neoliberal institutions and NGOs. As such, our work relies on your individual donations to keep the work going in Palestine. Consider making a donation here.
In solidarity,
Lara Kilani