Financial Times calls for humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Financial Times
31 Oct 2023 04:06

The Financial Times has pointed to 'Israel's' violation of international law calling on US authorities to limit the occupation's crimes.

Locals evacuate survivors of the Israeli bombardment of civilians in Rafah, the Gaza Strip, on October 30, 2023. (AP)

"Israel's" collective punishment of Palestinians in the Gaza strip must stop, the Financial Times wrote on Monday.

The report highlighted the occupation forces' murdering of more than 3,000 children as well as its aggression which has forced more than 2.3 million people to live under dire conditions.

The death toll has surpassed the combined previous toll recorded after Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since the withdrawal of occupation forces in 2005.

Moreover, the news website highlighted US President Joe Biden's remarks regarding the unreliability of official numbers published by the Ministry of Health in Gaza. The report refutes Biden's claims, saying that United Nations agencies conducted their tallies revealing "no huge discrepancies" between their numbers and the ministry's.

The article urged Biden to pressure the Israeli government to protect civilians and respect the rules of war, instead of making baseless allegations.

"Israel" continues to violate international humanitarian law in its aggression on the Strip and has not attempted to hide the "scale of devastation" it continues to lay on the Strip.

Furthermore, "Israel" continues to pressure civilians out of safe places in the northern part of the Gaza Strip where an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 people seek refuge in hospitals and schools.

In addition, the occupation has only allowed 131 trucks filled with aid into the Strip since October 7, a tiny amount compared to the 500 trucks that entered the Strip daily before the siege was tightened.

The Financial Times also shed light on the hundreds of Palestinians who have been killed by Israeli occupation forces and illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank.

The news outlet finally called for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip amid rising regional tensions, easing the "suffering of Palestinians."

Israeli aggression targets children

A report by Save the Children states that more children have been killed in Gaza since the attacks on October 7 than those killed in conflicts around the world every year since 2019.

Referencing Palestinian Health authorities, the report stated that at least 3,324 children have been murdered so far and 36 were killed in the West Bank.

In comparison, reports from the UN Secretary-General on children and armed conflict show that a total of 2,985 children were killed in 24 countries in 2022, 2,515 in 2021, and 2,674 in 2020 across 22 countries.

Jason Lee, Save the Children’s country director for the occupied Palestinian territory, explained, "One child’s death is one too many, but these are grave violations of epic proportions," adding, "A ceasefire is the only way to ensure their safety. The international community must put people before politics – every day spent debating is leaving children killed and injured. Children must be protected at all times, especially when they are seeking safety in schools and hospitals."

As of yet, 1,000 children remain missing in Gaza and may be under the rubble. It is worth noting that children constitute over 40% of the more than 8,000 people confirmed dead in Gaza.

A typical 15-year-old in Gaza has lived through five periods of intensive bombardment: 2008-9, 2012, 2014, 2021, and now 2023.

"Israel's" occupation has caused mass suffering among generations of Palestinians as well as Palestine's neighbors including Lebanon. Ethnic cleansing and massacres are the cornerstone of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian, Lebanese, and Syrian territories.