Ending the siege and restoring human rights are essential for lasting peace

The first time I stepped foot in Gaza, I had scant appreciation of the political context. I wasn’t completely oblivious, however; I carried with me a blank slate of knowledge of the plight of the Palestinians. I had worked in development contexts, but this unfamiliar environment riddled by the aftermath of flare ups of hostilities every few years, was different. I had not expected to find myself thrust into a boiling pot where human rights were lacking, and I was equally unprepared to encounter students who possessed razor sharp intellect and enquiring, determined minds. It was energising and humbling to be in their presence and, by the end of my time in Gaza, I felt enriched by the lessons of living with and transcending trials and tribulations.

As someone who spent time in Gaza on two separate occasions, I can attest to the inhumane impact of living under siege. I, too, felt frustration, rage and despondency. For more than 16 years, the Israeli siege has crippled the economy and psychological well-being of the Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel controls the movements of more than two million Palestinians as well as what flows in and out of Gaza. The unemployment rate prior to the latest genocidal war against the Palestinians was over 46 per cent, among the highest in the world. Some claim that there are only two options open to the residents of Gaza: risk dying while defending one’s right to self-determination, or resign oneself to a slow death under siege.

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From the moment one crosses into besieged Gaza, the scale of the impoverishment is evident. It is often described as the most-densely populated open-air prison on earth. You would be forgiven for thinking that you had stepped back in time when seeing donkeys pulling carts as a means of transport. Even before the ongoing genocide, there were buildings and landmarks pockmarked by bullets, artillery fire and shelling; parts of Gaza were still in ruins from earlier Israeli military offensives. As Israel’s siege on Gaza prohibits most construction materials from entering the Strip, homes and infrastructure battered by war have usually remained frozen in time.

According to the Wall Street Journal, “[This] war in the Gaza Strip is generating destruction comparable in scale to the most devastating urban warfare in the modern record.” At least 70 per cent of Gaza’s homes and half of its buildings have been damaged or destroyed in the past three months, and there is no foreseeable end to the carnage. It is almost inconceivable to reconcile the fact that the Gaza I knew has been obliterated.

Based on images flooding out of the territory, the north and central areas have been flattened, and are now deemed to be largely uninhabitable. It will not be much longer before the south follows suit. Even if a ceasefire comes into effect tomorrow, the task of rebuilding Gaza will be massive.

For those who have survived thus far not knowing if they will be next in the firing line, dreams and aspirations have gone up in smoke. I know Palestinians who invested in apartments for their extended families and have now lost their homes with no financial means to rebuild. Hopes for the future are being extinguished and lives turned upside down even though most civilians played no direct part in what happened on 7 October.

The people I encountered in Gaza were family orientated, hospitable, resourceful, intelligent and charismatic. They strived for peace against a relentless tide of oppression. For those who have only known life under siege, have seen family and friends killed in wars and are denied opportunities for education, employment and free movement, retaining any degree of hope is an almost impossible task.

To date, at least 23,000 Palestinians have been killed. The reported death toll in Israel on 7 October stands at less than 1,200, many apparently killed by the Israel Defence Forces when reacting to the Hamas attack. Despite the number of Palestinians babies, women and children killed, the Israeli war cabinet and its allies claim the right to “self-defence”. Israel forges ahead unperturbed by global outrage and condemnation, even in the face of a charge of genocide at the International Court of Justice initiated by South Africa.

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According to international law, Israel as the occupying power is not entitled to use military force in “self-defence” against the people living under its occupation. Unequivocally, there is no justification for Israel’s devastating bombardment of Gaza. Moreover, there is a rising death toll of IDF soldiers caught up in urban warfare. The plight of Israeli hostages has been overshadowed by the desire to exact revenge on Gaza.

As Palestinians are invariably portrayed through a distorted lens by mainstream media, it is easy to forget that most of the people in Gaza are not members of any resistance group; they are a predominantly young population (half are under 18 years old) with universal aspirations embroiled in a war. It is estimated that there are 30,000 Hamas resistance fighters out of a population of 2.3 million in Gaza. The entire population of Gaza is thus being punished collectively, which is a war crime in itself.

The resistance movement opposes Israel’s military occupation of Palestine; the disabling siege; and the two-tiered legal and political system that ensures comprehensive rights for illegal Jewish settlers while imposing military rule and control on Palestinians without any basic protections or rights guaranteed under international law. Is it unreasonable for subjugated people to resist an unlawful siege and the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem? Would those in the “free world” respond any differently if subjected to the same unjust conditions? “Armed struggle” is legitimate under international law.

The international community has failed Palestinians. What choices remain for those of them who refuse to be treated as second-class citizens and be driven out of their homeland? Regrettably, they have not been able to rely on the West or most Arab countries to come to their defence. Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen have been the most reactive. Whilst Israel continues to flout international law and is granted impunity, there is no impetus for change.

In the past few months in Gaza, we have seen doctors refuse to abandon patients even when their own lives were in imminent danger. Ordinary people have risked their lives to document atrocities, sharing the evidence through the window of social media. Men have scrabbled with bare hands to rescue those who are buried underneath the rubble of their homes.

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Many hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been reduced to existing in inhumane conditions in tents or sleeping on the streets without even basic amenities. What a cruel world we live in when we can no longer place ourselves in the shoes of others, but instead allow a humanitarian catastrophe to unfold before our eyes.

They have to make devastatingly difficult choices: is it best to disperse family members to maximise chances of a few surviving, or sleep huddled together? Will sleeping in a tent or on the streets offer more protection than concrete walls where family members may be buried under rubble if hit by an air strike? A friend compared his situation to that of the band on board the RMS Titanic; at what point should he abandon his humanitarian work to seek refuge for his own family as Gaza?

Every day of war exposes more brutality. Global protests opposing the genocidal assault on Gaza have fallen largely on the deaf ears of those with influence. Glimmers of optimism do not emanate from our political leaders, but rather from the people in Gaza and those of goodwill who refuse to relinquish the quest for peace and justice.

Whilst countries on the world stage project their views about the day after the war and Israel attempts to decide unilaterally the future of Palestinian governance, the voices of the people in Gaza are sorely overlooked. They remain focused on their immediate survival, in the midst of unimaginable grief and trauma.

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Gaza is an enchanting albeit tiny sliver of land; on the surface there is hardship, but below it is a burgeoning zest for life. The Palestinians in Gaza cannot return to life under a cruel blockade. At the bare minimum, they deserve to live with dignity. Demilitarisation and peace are possible if the siege is lifted and human rights are prioritised; Gaza could again be a flourishing hub within the wider Middle East.

The inordinate scale of death and destruction in Gaza cannot be in vain. Extreme political elements present the main impediments to peace. There is no reason why the people I know in Gaza cannot live harmoniously under either a one- or two-state solution. This war must be an inflection point to pave out a better future for Palestinians and Israelis, and thus restore our faith in humanity.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.