Yesterday I saw Motaz’s Instagram reel. He was in Deir Al Balah, where he filmed the aftermath of an intense Israeli attack. I have seen graphic images and videos from the war in Syria, from the war on Gaza in 2014, and from earlier in the 2023 Gaza genocide. I can’t remember ever seeing footage worse and more heart-wrenching than what Motaz posted.

I will write this from my memory. I think in those few minutes there were at least 10 casualties shown. The start of the video is the recovery of only a severed hand from a smouldering pile of metal. Building(s) were levelled and blown open, and ash and concrete dust were everywhere. Someone got blown backwards onto what I think was a tree and died with his lower body in the air and a piece of shrapnel penetrated his crown/skull, so fluid from his brain and the rest of his body was pulled down behind him. I saw someone still alive brought onto a mattress with shrapnel penetrating his leg, the top of his leg bone snapped, it left and re-entered his skin through the open wound as he readjusted himself. I saw this also happen to a young girl in Gaza weeks ago.

I think I remember 3 or more dead children being brought out from under rubble, and more dead adults. A bunch of cars were on fire. I saw someone say the death toll from that specific massacre was 43 at the time, now put at 60-70.

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This was in the south of the Gaza Strip, where they were initially told by the occupation army that they would be safe. Predictably, they have now extended the line even further, and the occupation is now attacking Khan Younis, dropping more leaflets in the sky. The aim of these leaflets is to spread terror and attack any feeling of safety that the people of the Gaza Strip might still have in their homeland. The same strategy which was used by the Zionist forces to carry out the first Nakba. In the West Bank Israel flew quadcopters equipped with speakers to fly up to Palestinian people and say in Arabic “We are at war, don’t try to resist us or else we will reach you and your children, and kill you.” or something like that according to translations I’ve seen people make. The thousands of massacres committed by Israel should prove to everyone that they don’t care about humanitarianism. Apparently, yesterday was the heaviest day of fighting according to an IDF commander.

In conclusion, the only place within the Gaza Strip where a Palestinian is maybe permitted the right to life at this time, by the occupation army, is Rafah, and the areas around Rafah. This is in line with Zionist policy as shown by the document released by WikiLeaks. Push everyone further south and then into the Sinai desert, and murder everyone else who refuses to leave with starvation, thirst, bombs and bullets. Not a single major Western leader, to my knowledge, has even said a word against this genocide committed by their ally. Not even speak when they pretend to care about an issue, as politicians often do.

The ICC must face a huge amount of pressure to investigate and attempt to prosecute these crimes against humanity after this is over and everyone in the Gaza Strip is in exile in what might become the world’s largest refugee camp. What other country would willingly submit and comply with the ICC if they refuse to punish the USA’s biggest ally after committing the crime of genocide? What mandate will they have left if they prove themselves to that extent not to be apolitical?

My worry is that the Sisi regime will hesitate to accept the diaspora created by the occupation and that the Zionists will make an example of the Palestinians already funnelled into Rafah in order to place huge pressure on Egypt.

My other worries were that Hezbollah would also face huge pressure to escalate its attacks on Israel if/when this happens. Perhaps the commentators who say that Hezbollah exists primarily to defend Lebanon and that it isn’t equipped to wage a massive war with Israel are right. I’m not the most informed person about whether there is a prospect of a larger escalation. I have seen stories over this year predicting a major economic financial crisis next year. What got Western countries out of the great depression was the military production of the Second World War. I hope my thinking is just misguided alarmism.

I had to leave my thoughts here. I don’t know what I could have done which would have made any difference to this.

Edit: Immediately after posting this, I learned that the UN Secretary-General António Guterres just invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter.

The Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.