It is now twenty months since the genocidal war on Gaza began. The ceasefire at the beginning of the year may have provided short-lived relief, but the subsequent and dramatic escalation of the ethnic cleansing has brought fresh horrors.
By Caroline Vincent
Tens of thousands of IDF (Israeli Defence Force) reservists are being drafted for Israel’s new, widened military offensive which has been dubbed ‘Operation Gideon’s Chariots’. The ostensible aim is to dismantle Hamas, but in reality it is a ramping up of the attack on the civilian population of Gaza, 90% of whom have been repeatedly displaced since October 2023, with the longer term aim of their expulsion, and the snuffing out of any aspiration of Palestinian liberation.
The offensive involves plans for full military occupation along with control of aid and food distribution. Palestinians are being forcibly displaced to the south of Gaza ahead of intense fighting ‘for an indefinite period’. This will undoubtedly lay the basis for the Israeli state to yet again block entry of supplies to a starving population.
New Nakba
15 May was Nakba Day, the anniversary of the catastrophe in 1948 which led to the permanent displacement of the majority of Palestinians. This year, the date was marked by a horrific wave of airstrikes which killed more than 100 people.
Between 11-17 May, 464 Palestinians were killed and 1,418 wounded. The strikes left all hospitals in North Gaza out of service, with heavy fire preventing the arrival of patients, medical staff and supplies.
We are seeing a continuation of what began 77 years ago, with this escalation described as a ‘second Nakba’. It has increasingly been seen as Israel’s endgame in the light of chilling and explicit remarks from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that the onslaught “will not end until Gaza is entirely destroyed”, that Israelis “should embrace the word ‘occupation’,” and that Israel is “conquering Gaza, clearing it out and taking control of every area we enter”.
Deliberate starvation
Harrowing photographs of malnourished children have shocked the world. While famine has not yet been declared, Israel’s blockade – cutting off medicine and fuel as well as food – has left people starving.
According to the World Health Organisation, three quarters of the population are facing emergency or catastrophic food deprivation. Spoiled flour is being sold for up to 40 times its usual price. Malnutrition means wounds do not heal and mothers cannot breast-feed their children. It’s predicted that 71,000 children under five will become acutely malnourished over the next eleven months.
Recently, Starmer and others appeared to criticise Israel’s continued block on aid deliveries to Gaza, yet these are completely empty words. This has all been happening with funding and support from both British and US imperialism.
Trump
Shortly after his return to the White House, Donald Trump floated his ludicrous plan to turn Gaza into a “riviera”. More recently on his tour of the Middle East in May, he commented “Gaza has been a territory of death and destruction for many years. I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good. Let the United States get involved and make it a freedom zone.”
Trump’s full-throated support for Israel is sometimes couched and masked in terms of ‘peace’. Upon the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, Trump stated “hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very much forward to that day of celebration!” In April, Trump did not reverse the 17% tariffs placed on Israel, pointing to the $4bn a year in aid from the US.
Notably, on Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East, Benjamin Netanyahu was sidelined, with Israel missing from the itinerary. The lucrative tour may have been primarily motivated by petrodollars, but also the hope of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords – a series of agreements aimed at normalising relations between Israel and several Arab states. The ongoing and escalating genocidal offensive means that for Saudi Arabia, this is not currently on the cards.
However, nobody should be fooled that Trump’s occasional empty gestures about ‘peace’ means he cares about the liberation and right to self determination of Palestinians. He has, after all, been quoted numerous times on record saying they should be ethnically cleansed, with no right to return.
Keir Starmer’s government has, in practice, been unwavering in its support for the Israeli state, with the Campaign Against Arms Trade reporting that the Labour government sold more military equipment in three months than the Tory government did in three years, approving licences for £127.6m worth of military equipment from October to December 2024.
Build an international working-class anti-war movement!
On Saturday 17 May, hundreds of thousands marched in London at the 27th national protest since October 2023. These demonstrations continue to be a powerful display of widespread solidarity with the Palestinian people. However there is also a growing sense among protestors that whereas marches are important, they are not enough, and that the movement is at something of an impasse.
After twenty months of protest, the genocidal offensive has only intensified. To stop the war, we need a renewed mass movement of workers and young people against imperialism. The struggle has to be international, and must centre on methods of workers’ action.
Members of Socialist Struggle Movement, International Socialist Alternative in Israel/Palestine, have participated in protests and strikes despite the repression they face. This included protesting on April 7 – World Health Day – a date chosen to highlight the appalling targeting and killing of paramedics and rescue teams by Israeli forces. Material distributed emphasised the need to build struggle in schools, universities, among campaigning groups and, most importantly, in workplaces to bring a halt to the war machine.
The trade union movement has a role to play both in opposing the genocidal war, and also opposing the pro-capitalist governments who have blood on their hands. Workers need a political voice.
We need working-class parties based on struggle and firmly in opposition to war, imperialism, militarism and oppression – all of which the capitalist system depends upon. To achieve Palestinian liberation and lasting peace internationally, capitalism has to go!
