Gaza’s Death Toll Is Out Of Control, But Why?
Let’s put it into context because the reasons behind this conflict are murkier than you might think.
It goes without saying that the situation in Gaza and Israel is dire. The horrific scenes of October 7th have deeply scared the Israeli people and their supporters. The attack emboldened Israel’s extreme right-wing leader, Netanyahu, to undertake an indiscriminate onslaught against Gaza and enforce his hard-line Zionist stance on the state. Since October 7th, Israeli forces have attacked Gaza hospitals, blocked aid, water and fuel and bombarded the densely populated region with the equivalent of two Hiroshima’s worth of munitions, leading to the deaths of at least 13,000 Gazans, the vast majority of which are innocent children and women. Not only has this been condemned by many in the international community as an act of genocide and war crimes, but many Israelis are outraged at Netanyahu’s brutalisation of Gaza. This is reflected in a recent poll that found his approval rating has tanked to just 4% (undertaken on November 14th). I am writing this article on November 20th, which is both World Children’s Day, a global initiative promoting children’s rights, safety, education, health and happiness, and also my daughter’s birthday. So, I want to put this profoundly troubling conflict into context…
