Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
25 November 2024 | 15:49 CAT
3-minute read

Worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza

The humanitarian crisis has been exacerbated with the onset of winter in the enclave. Winter rains lash the refugee tents within which thousands of displaced Palestinians are housed as Israel’s horrific war continues unabated.

This winter, there are far more displaced refugees and far fewer buildings intact, making it more difficult for Palestinians to find adequate shelter from the elements.

In this week’s Palestine Report, Moulana Ebrahim Moosa discussed the harsh conditions facing Palestinians in the strip.

“The water flowing into these tents, destroying possessions,” Moulana Moosa said, adding that the fires displaced refugees use to stave off the winter cold and cook their food pose increased fire risks.

People in Gaza are finding it increasingly difficult to find food amid the rising cost of flour and bread, with huge crowds queuing outside the last remaining bakeries to buy a packet of pita bread that could cost up to R250. A major contributing factor is that the entry of aid into the enclave has reached an all-time low in the 13 months since Israel launched its attack. To make matters worse, armed gangs, under Israel’s surveillance, are looting the little aid that makes its way in.

“From the very little aid that has entered into Gaza, almost a third of this aid is being looted,” Moulana Moosa reported. “It’s being done by gangs who have all the fingerprints of Israel over them. They’ve been described as ISIS-linked gangs who are Israeli collaborators,” he added.

The gangs have established a military compound within Israel-controlled areas and act with impunity and without any redress. The looting plays into the IOF’s plan to deliberately starve Gaza.

ICC’s arrest warrants represent historic breakthrough for justice

While critics argue that the arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant fall short of charging them with genocide, the warrants are a step in the right direction to “address the continued dispossession and oppression of Palestinians under Israel’s unlawful occupation and system of apartheid,” according to Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard.

Netanyahu and Gallant can only be placed on trial once arrests are made. “If arrests are not made, this entire process will be stalled because the ICJ does not have the capacity to trial accused persons in absentia,” Moulana Moosa explained.

“It is extremely significant that this is the first time Western-aligned leaders have been indicted in this way, and we now see the world being a much more narrow place for Netanyahu and Gallant,” Moulana Moosa added.

Netanyahu’s has rejected “with disgust” the ICC arrest warrant, calling it an anti-semitic plot and outgoing President Joe Biden has called it “outrageous”.

Analysts point to the far-reaching implications the warrants will have on countries supplying weapons to Israel.

“It means that Western countries [who] are providing weapons are equally complicit. They have to forcefully now reassess their trade agreements,” Moulana Moosa said.

The warrants may also trigger prosecution of dual-national Israeli soldiers living in other countries, such as those in South Africa.

Rumours surface that Hamas was expelled from Qatar

Qatar’s foreign ministry has denied the expulsion claims, stating that while the Hamas office remains open, key leaders are not in the country. This ambiguity has fuelled speculation, with Turkey emerging as a potential location for these leaders.

Turkish officials have dismissed the reports as misleading, emphasising that Hamas members have regularly visited Turkey in the past due to family and organisational commitments.

Analysts believe that it is unlikely that Qatar expelled the leaders without external pressure, and that Israel is applying pressure on the Biden administration to adopt a stricter approach toward Hamas, possibly setting the stage for an even harsher policy under the incoming Trump presidency.

Trump’s recent cabinet announcements, which align closely with pro-Isreal interests, have amplified these concerns.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.