One Year of Destruction in Gaza: Will Israel Be Held Accountable?

One year since 7 October 2023, Israel is not only not de-escalating, it is expanding its military operations.

A year since Hamas' terrorist attack that killed more than 1000  Israelis with 250 plus taken hostage, Israel has expanded the war to Lebanon and its atrocities in Gaza are not expected to subside anytime soon.

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

Consider some of the statements issued by the Joe Biden administration since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The US president says, "No nation, no aggressor is allowed to take a neighbour’s territory by force." He says that Ukrainian children being displaced is an absolute outrage. The White House has stated it "condemns the Russian government’s continued targeting and repression of journalists.” And Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has asserted that Russia must stop the weaponisation of hunger.

All valid points you would say, except that the US does not seem to bat an eye when Israel commits such acts, using American weapons and American money. A year since Hamas' terrorist attack that killed more than 1000 Israelis with 250 plus taken hostage, Israel has expanded the war to Lebanon and its atrocities in Gaza are not expected to subside anytime soon.

Keep America's gospels in mind when I say that in Gaza, more than 40,000 people have been killed by Israel since 7 October 2023, most of them civilians and one-third children. More than 130 journalists have been killed by Israel. The United Nations says that as of July 2024, Israel's "targeted starvation campaign" had spread throughout the entire Gaza Strip, causing the death of children. And on land, it's common knowledge and acknowledged by the UN and the International Court of Justice that Israel has been occupying the West Bank since 1967 and had occupied Gaza from 1967 to 2005. Twenty days after the 7 October killings, Israel launched a full-scale invasion and occupied Gaza again.

The brutalities have expanded to Lebanon. While targeting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, Israel's airstrikes have so far killed over 1000 people. On 23 September, it killed more than 500 people in a single day, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry, which by the way, is not controlled by Hezbollah. And it assassinated Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader for the last 32 years, along with many other senior commanders of the organisation. Iran retaliated with hundreds of ballistic missiles, and now Netanyahu has promised payback.

So, one year on, Israel is not only not de-escalating, it is expanding its military operations, and the US is not only permitting this, it is funding Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, with the last package worth $8.7 billion secured on 26 September. Among other destructive weaponry, the Biden administration has sent more than 10,000 highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs since the start of Israel's assault on Gaza. It is confirmed that Israel has used these bombs in Gaza and it is very likely that these were also used in the strike that killed Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.

When questioned about Israel’s actions, Washington parrots the same arguments time and again, that Israel has the right to “defend” itself, that the reports of some of Israel’s actions are concerning, and that it is waiting to see reports of Israel’s investigation on atrocities committed by Israel!

So, what explains Israel's impunity? Why is Israel untouchable? Watch the full video to know more.