Another tragedy occurred in Gaza on Thursday. While trying to access food, over 100 starving Palestinians were killed and over 700 were wounded. Who's fault is it?
There is a dispute about what happened. Palestinian spokespeople said it was because Israeli soldiers fired on the people trying to get food. Israeli spokespeople claimed it was just because the people trampled each other while trying to get food. A person who was on the ground there said most of those killed or injured were hit by aid trucks (that were trying to flee Israeli shooting).
It really doesn't matter which story you believe. The Israeli government is to blame.
Let's take the Israeli story as true. Why were those people starving and so desperate to get to the limited amount of food on the aid truck? It's because Israel invaded Gaza, and now controls it -- and has not allowed sufficient food (and medicine and shelter) to entered. There are a couple of million civilians in Gaza, but only a few aid trucks have been allowed to enter -- not nearly enough to feed all of them.
The residents of Gaza (half of whom are under the age of 18) are starving, and starvation deaths are beginning to happen. That should not be. When Israeli troops took over Gaza, that made them responsible for the well-being of the people living there. Not allowing enough food (and other necessities) to enter is a dereliction of the duty they assumed by seizing Gaza.
It is a violation of international law (and common decency) to starve a population. But that's what the Israelis are doing. And they need to stop it.
Israel had the right to strike back against Hamas. But they don't have the right to starve the civilian population. They need to allow enough humanitarian aid into Gaza to feed all the civilians living there, even if they have to initiate a cease-fire to get it done. Not doing so is just an inhumane form of genocide.
