At least 41 more Palestinians have been killed in ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total death toll since October to 40,476, the enclave’s health ministry said on Tuesday.
Some 93,647 others have been wounded in the ongoing attacks, the ministry statement added. The ministry said:
Israeli forces killed 41 people and injured 113 others in three “massacres” of families in the last 24 hours. Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them.
American Jewish activist and co-founder of anti-war organisation CodePink Medea Benjamin called for an end to US support for Israel, calling the situation in Gaza “genocide.”
Speaking ahead of the premiere of TRT World’s documentary Holy Redemption, filmed in the occupied Palestinian territories, Benjamin criticised Israel’s ongoing actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
Benjamin described the situation in Gaza as a systematic attempt to destroy the Palestinian population, calling it both “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing.” She said the Israeli attacks are not just a conflict, but a targeted campaign to make life unbearable for Palestinians by forcing them to flee their homeland.
The activist also criticised the US government’s unwavering support for Israel, calling it a betrayal of American values.
She noted that while some American politicians have begun to question this support, most continue to support Israel despite the atrocities committed. Benjamin called for an immediate halt to US arms shipments to Israel, stressing that it was time to stop funding genocide with US tax dollars. She said:
The ICJ has called it a plausible genocide. We call it a slaughter.
Benjamin also expressed scepticism about the possibility of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu being held accountable for his actions, citing the tendency of powerful states to evade accountability for war crimes.
However, she emphasised the importance of continuing the struggle for justice and holding Netanyahu and his administration accountable for their actions against the Palestinian people. Benjamin also praised Turkey for its leadership on the Gaza issue and its support for the Palestinian cause at the UN.
She called on global grassroots movements to pressure governments to sever commercial and military ties with Israel and to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement as a means to achieve a real solution that will grant Palestinians their rights to sovereignty and equality. Benjamin expressed hope that Turkey would continue to play a neutral role as a mediator, in contrast to the overtly biased US position.
In violation of a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has come under international condemnation for its ongoing brutal offensive on Gaza following an attack by Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Ten months into Israel’s war, vast swathes of Gaza lie in ruins under a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel is accused of genocide at the UN International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians took refuge before the May 6 invasion of the area.
