In school, we studied about Hitler and how he killed thousands of people — mostly Jews and their families — because he thought Jews didn’t deserve to live in Germany, and how educated people — from engineers to doctors — were convinced to believe Hitler and contributed in whatever ways they could to wipe out the Jews. The Holocaust that systematically killed over six million people, mostly Jews in Europe, is a dark chapter in our history.
The Holocaust stands as a harrowing reminder of what can transpire when prejudice and hatred guide a nation’s actions.
We all moved on, hoping we won’t witness another Hitler-like act again.
But we are seeing another barbaric act — right now, right before our eyes — as Israeli forces are engaged in ethnic cleansing in Gaza, Palestine, in the disguise of hunting down Hamaz. The strength and number of Hamaz, compared to the Israeli forces, are negligibly small.
The Israel-Palestine issue is one of history’s longest-running conflicts. It’s undeniable that there’s a prolonged history of human rights violations, with the Palestinian people often suffering disproportionately.
However, we are witnessing something unprecedented now. Triggered by a recent Hamas attack, Israel is on a killing spree in Gaza Strip, Palestine, and over 4000 civilians, including 1000+ children, have already been murdered. The Israeli forces don’t spare even hospitals. A recent missile strike on a hospital reportedly killed over 500 people.
The question that arises is why innocent children, even infants, are being killed in the guise of hunting down Hamas. This is nothing short of a genocide, a merciless extermination of a vulnerable population under the pretext of “self-defense.”
We seem indifferent to the killing of children and the displacement of their families. The world powers, often quick to intervene, have largely sided with Israel, supporting their actions under the banner of “self-defense.” Backed by countries like the United States and the UK, Israel has skillfully crafted a narrative to garner international support. They built an industry of lies to propagate hatred against Palestine and invested millions of dollars to gather the support of neighbouring countries to reduce Palestine into just piece of land that exists on its mercy.
Now Israel is playing victim and carpet-bombing every part of Gaza using advanced military machine, killing hundreds of civilians every day. But when you question it, they have a ready-made answer — “we are targetting Hamas and it’s just collateral damage”.
And we seem to forgive, until one day, we become the “collateral damage”. Until then, we can just sit down and watch our favourite shows, share stories on Instagram, order food online and have fun!
The tragedy unfolding before our eyes should be a stark reminder that the past’s brutal sentiments persist. Only the faces have changed, but the consequences are dire. We cannot afford to remain silent and indifferent when lives hang in the balance.