From water to cholera; Israel’s tools in the Gaza war against Hamas

Fars News Agency International Group – Note – Vahid Samadi.

October 20th, a group of British academics, experts in political science, political philosophy, history, geography , law and studies of the Middle East, wrote an open letter to the prime minister and said, “Today, Israel is involved in a moral disaster, and the countries that cover it have their hands stained with the blood of innocent Palestinians. In the name of human dignity and morality, you should demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza”.

Why was this letter written to the Prime Minister of Israel? There is a reason. See, Israel’s aerial bombardment in Gaza, from the moment it began and until today (the 65th day), was carried out with callous and boundless violence, directly and deliberately with the aim of killing civilians in residential houses, schools, hospitals, UN centers and everywhere. And it is possible that they have taken refuge there. Why is it intentional? for three reasons; First, venting the maddened anger of Israel’s leaders. Second, satisfying the sense of revenge; Of course, revenge should be taken from Hamas, Qassam and the resistance forces, but they have taken it from the people and are still taking it. Because one category was discussed in Israel and it gained strength after October 7th, and that is that we have no innocents in Gaza. Everyone is involved and because they support Hamas, they must pay for it, even babies. they emphasize; Even the baby who is going to support Hamas in a few years. In their own words, future terrorists; Judith Lazarowitz wrote on the religious site “srugim” that there is no such thing as the innocent because the people of Gaza have consciously chosen to be human shields for Hamas. and third; It is intentional, due to the displacement of people to evacuate Gaza.

Images of the bombed areas were published in the media and social networks around the world. The attacks were so callous and merciless, that the initial condemnation of Hamas suddenly gave way to condemnation of Israel. Although quiet voices in the West called on Israel to observe “proportion” in response to Hamas. In Israel, the political leaders described Hamas as wild animals, and some others responded to those voices in the West and said that the October 7th attack by Hamas was also cruel, so October 7th justifies any kind of attack and the use of any kind of tools. Of course, during the war, Hamas repeatedly answered this question that Hamas elements attacked Israeli soldiers and military bases near Gaza, but Israel is now only bombing people.

The truth of this It is that, in the first place, what caused extreme anger, sense of revenge and attempt to displace the people of Gaza, is not the breath of October 7th attack. The main reason is “tarnishing the dignity of 75 years old”. Hamas has defiled Israel’s security, intelligence, military, political, and social prestige so much that the leaders of Israel will do anything to destroy Hamas in Gaza.

Israel’s tools against the Gaza Strip

one; Water weapons

Among these tools is the use of water, food, medicine and fuel as war tools. Israel has besieged Gaza since 2006, and all the affairs of this narrow area pass through seven crossings under Israeli control. “Israel must stop using water as a weapon of war,” UN rapporteur Pedro Arojo Agudo said on November 17. 70% of people in Gaza drink salty or impure water. This action is a clear violation of international law. Thirst and diseases caused by the lack of clean water put the residents of Gaza at risk of death. Is such an argument important for Israel? no Because he is killing the same people with bombs and killing them intentionally so that other people can see and migrate and evacuate Gaza faster.

two ; Drug and fuel weapons

Many of the sick and injured died even in the hospital due to the lack of drugs, anesthetics and anesthetics. Due to power outages and fuel shortages and Israel’s blocking of fuel for hospitals, many cancer or kidney patients and especially premature babies were killed. Again, these are not important. Why? Because Israel bombed the hospital itself to kill everyone. Didn’t a number of Israeli doctors sign a petition last November 3 and ask the army to bomb hospitals if necessary and describe it as “Israel’s legitimate right”?

three; Forced displacement, ethnic cleansing and bombing of displaced people

The next tool used by Israel is forced displacement. There are different definitions of this concept in international law. Israel’s intention is to evict the population of Gaza to the Sinai desert in Egypt. Egypt has openly declared its opposition and this is its red line. This policy of Israel shows the means of forced migration and ethnic cleansing.

Pay attention, the point is very important; Forced displacement (and ethnic cleansing) is considered a “war crime” (Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 or the Rome Statute). But did Israel settle for this level of war crime? no On the 13th of October, when a part of the people of Gaza City (in the north of the Gaza Strip) started moving towards the south of Gaza in the form of a convoy consisting of dozens of light and heavy vehicles, following Israel’s forced evacuation order, Israeli warplanes also bombarded them (with At least 70 dead, most of them women and children). An advanced type of war crime! Is it over? no The southern areas, where people had to go to be safe by Israeli orders, were also bombed. This work has been so repeated in the Gaza Strip in the last two months that Volker Türk, the Austrian Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, announced on November 19, “There is no safe place in the Gaza Strip, not even the three UN schools that host refugees.” Bode, has been the target of air attack in the last 48 hours. Yesterday, our colleagues saw the “death zone” with their own eyes and fled on the orders of the Israeli army, but where to? There is no safe place in Gaza”.

Four; The weapon of cholera and contagious diseases

Following the siege of Gaza and the lack of entry of medicine and health materials, the power cut of medical centers, and the corpses of Gaza’s martyrs being buried under the rubble for a long time, the organization The United Nations has repeatedly warned that if the humanitarian situation continues in the same way and if Israel continues bombing and does not allow aid to enter, “a terrible scenario will occur in Gaza”. Lynn Hastinger, the UN humanitarian coordinator, said, “Given the collapse of the health system in Gaza and the lack of clean water,… a health disaster is on the verge of happening and all kinds of contagious diseases can start.”

some may say, well, outbreak of disease is one of the natural conditions of wars. no Is it a world war? pay attention; Just as Israel is against the entry of fuel into Gaza until Hamas is destroyed, even at the cost of the destruction of all hospitals and health centers and the people of all patients and babies, the same Israel is in favor of the spread of cholera among the people of Gaza until Hamas is forced to. to surrender.

You must have seen last week (December 6) Itamar Ben Guer, the Minister of Interior, during the meeting of the war council to consider whether or not to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, every A drop of fuel entering the Gaza Strip is as far as the army is from defeating Hamas. So please also listen to what Giora Island, the former head of Israel’s National Security Council, a retired army general and a member of Israel’s Center for National Security Studies (INSS), wrote on November 20th in a note in Yediot Aharonot newspaper, the way to defeat Hamas is the spread of cholera. It is in Gaza.

Eyland wrote: “The way to win this war is to collapse the other side’s systems [in Gaza] more quickly and at less cost to us, not Kill more Hamas… The international community has warned us about the humanitarian disaster and cholera outbreak in Gaza, but we should not be ashamed of it. With all its difficulties, in the end cholera and infectious diseases in the south of the Gaza Strip will bring us closer to victory at a faster rate and at a lower cost. He asked the government not to allow any humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

But this idea is so inhumane and of course stupid that voices against it were raised in Israel. Haaretz newspaper wrote on December 10th (by Ora Menour), recently Eiland said that the quick and cheap way to win is the outbreak of cholera in Gaza. The idea of ​​using cholera as a legitimate military tactic must be categorically rejected. Does cholera and infectious diseases have borders and nationality? So far, many ways and tools have been proposed to defeat Hamas, but this idea of ​​an island is wrong from a strategic, medical, and moral point of view.

Why do some people say that Israel should follow the rules of war?

This thread got so heated that other notes were posted opposing the idea. . Of course, the opposition was not due to the human aspect of the issue, but the reason for the opposition was that Israel should not do anything to raise the voice of the world’s protest and Tel Aviv will be forced to end the war before Israel’s goals are realized.

In November, in a report (by Moshe Jorli) titled “Israel should not commit war crimes”, the economic newspaper Calcalist of Israel wrote, “We should not listen to the irresponsible words of politicians or doctors or lawyers who say that the Israeli army does not need to obey the law. comply with the international For example, they say that the Fourth Geneva Agreement is not valid because Hamas is not a government… even in the midst of this war, it is necessary to avoid harming those who are not involved in the issue as much as possible, lest the international pressure on Israel increase. Israel’s freedom of action is supported in Europe and America. If the pressure increases, the war must be stopped before the war’s objectives are achieved.”

He will use it to cover the stigma with a notable achievement, and that is Gaza without Hamas; A goal that even the Americans do not believe in Israel’s ability to achieve and have repeatedly asked Tel Aviv to set achievable goals for the war (so that they are not disappointed at the end). But the anger and the sense of revenge that was mentioned have blinded and deafened the leaders of Israel for the time being and they will realize the depth of the story only when the dust of war settles down.

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