October 7, 2023: Two years since Gaza genocide, over 65,000 Palestinians killed

Gaza continue to endure the ongoing genocide by Israel, as the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack marks its second anniversary. While Palestinians have faced total devastation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has still failed to achieve his political objectives through this campaign of brutality, launched largely for his own survival.

The Israeli occupation has carried out atrocities in Gaza since 1948, when Zionist forces, backed by the United Kingdom, seized Palestinian land and displaced its indigenous population. That displacement continues to this day.

Innocent civilians have been ruthlessly targeted, with many torn apart in Israel’s unrestrained bombardments on Gaza. The intensity of the attacks has been compared to six Hiroshima bombings.

Such extreme war crimes went largely unaddressed for a year, until a few Western countries began voicing criticism, severing diplomatic ties with Israel, and halting arms exports.

Over 65,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza amid relentless daily bombings. Hospitals, refugee camps, and aid distribution sites remain under constant threat, nothing is safe for those trapped inside the enclave.

US President Donald Trump brokered a peace deal between Israel and several Arab Muslim countries. However, many pro-Palestinian voices raised concerns about the plan’s viability for Gaza, as Israel’s withdrawal commitments and other critical issues remained unresolved.

While Netanyahu described the peace pact as a way to isolate Hamas, the Palestinian resistance group refused to be sidelined from the Palestinian question. Meanwhile, the genocide persists, Israel continues killing children, men, and women, forcibly displacing families from hospitals, refugee camps, and residential areas, leaving thousands marching on foot in search of safety.

Hunger, disease, and psychological trauma have devastated those who remain alive in Gaza, as they continue witnessing their loved ones perish in horrific Israeli airstrikes.

Despite the peace agreement, none of the parties involved managed to pressure Israel into lifting its ruthless blockade, preventing essential aid from reaching the starving population.

After governments and international organisations failed to take concrete action to stop the genocide, activists across Western countries took to the streets, while some went further, bravely deciding to sail toward Gaza in an effort to break the Israeli siege.

Due to the complicity and inaction of Western governments, these activists were illegally detained by Israel. Acts of solidarity with Gaza are treated as punishable offenses, yet pro-Palestinian supporters continue to defy such restrictions with unwavering resolve.

A United Nations Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israel committed four of the five acts of genocide defined under international law during its ongoing war on Gaza, which began in 2023.

According to the UN report, Israel’s conduct demonstrates these acts of genocide:

• Killing members of a group, including direct attacks on civilians and protected sites.
• Causing serious bodily or mental harm through indiscriminate assaults, detainee abuse, forced displacement, and environmental destruction.
• Deliberately inflicting life-threatening conditions by destroying infrastructure, obstructing medical care, and blocking essential supplies like food, fuel, and water.
• Other acts leading to group destruction, such as reproductive violence and conditions disproportionately affecting children