Gaza: The Open-Air Prison and the Conscience of the World
The tragedy unfolding in Gaza today is not merely a humanitarian crisis—it is a stark testament to the failure of global leadership, the selective application of international law, and the deafening silence of those who once championed the values of freedom, human rights, and dignity.
As of May 2025, more than 36,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza. Tens of thousands more have been injured or buried under rubble. Hospitals lie in ruins. Mosques and churches reduced to ashes. Schools, bakeries, and shelters—targets of bombs and drones. In the words of the United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, “What we are witnessing is not just a war—it is a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing.”
Who Started This War?
Contrary to the dominant narratives pushed by some Western powers, the violence in Gaza did not begin in a vacuum. The October 7 attack by Hamas was preceded by decades of occupation, siege, displacement, home demolitions, and systemic violence against Palestinians. Gaza has been under an illegal Israeli blockade since 2007, turning it into what Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have rightly called an “open-air prison.”
The response by Israel has not only been disproportionate—it has bordered on genocidal intent. Statements by top Israeli officials calling for the “flattening” of Gaza, the depopulation of Palestinians, and the cutting off of water, electricity, and food supplies show a blatant disregard for the most basic tenets of the Geneva Conventions.
The Hypocrisy of the Global Powers
Despite the overwhelming evidence of war crimes and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, powerful Western governments continue to enable and legitimize Israel’s actions. The United States, United Kingdom, and several European nations have chosen to stand on the wrong side of history—fueling the destruction rather than stopping it.
President Donald Trump during his previous administration played a critical role in exacerbating the conditions that led to the current crisis. Under his administration, the U.S. unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 2017—an act that violated international consensus and ignited tensions across the region. Trump also cut funding to UNRWA, the United Nations agency providing vital aid to Palestinian refugees, further plunging millions into destitution.
Moreover, the Trump administration endorsed illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, effectively giving a green light to the annexation of Palestinian land. In doing so, it dismantled decades of diplomatic efforts aimed at a two-state solution. Trump’s so-called “Deal of the Century”, announced in 2020, was roundly rejected by Palestinians as it legitimized apartheid-like structures and offered nothing close to justice or sovereignty.
While Trump is no longer in office (2021-2025), his legacy of impunity lives on. His administration normalized the idea that international law can be overridden by power politics, setting a dangerous precedent that has emboldened Israel’s far-right leadership.
Under President Joe Biden (2021-2025), though promising a more balanced approach, has continued uninterrupted military support to Israel, including the approval of a $14 billion arms package. Despite calls from members of Congress and international human rights bodies, the Biden administration has refused to place any real conditions on aid, even as the death toll in Gaza climbs.
European powers are no better. Leaders like Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz have largely echoed U.S. rhetoric, condemning violence in vague terms while failing to hold Israel accountable. Worse, some European countries have criminalized peaceful pro-Palestine protests, arrested student demonstrators, and threatened civil society groups advocating for ceasefires and humanitarian aid.
This is not diplomacy. It is complicity. And the global South is taking note.
As South Africa recently declared in its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ): “The silence of the West in the face of systematic extermination of Palestinians in Gaza is both moral cowardice and legal negligence.”
Children Under Siege: A Generation Wiped Out
More than 13,000 children in Gaza have been killed since October 2023. Schools run by UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) have been bombed. Children with amputated limbs lie in hospitals with no anesthesia. The trauma is incalculable. According to Save the Children, 9 out of 10 children in Gaza now suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—a number that is likely an underestimation due to the collapse of health infrastructure.
Mothers are giving birth under rubble. Fathers bury their entire families in mass graves. These are not statistics. These are shattered lives. And the world watches.
Humanitarian Crisis: Starvation and Disease as Weapons of War
The blockade and bombing have led to catastrophic humanitarian conditions. Gaza’s hospitals are non-functional. Water is contaminated. Food convoys have been bombed. According to the World Food Programme, more than 80% of Gaza’s population is now at risk of famine. Malnourished children are dying of preventable diseases.
The destruction of Al-Shifa Hospital, Baptist Hospital, and other medical facilities is a war crime. These were not military targets. They were lifelines. Israel’s claim of militants hiding in hospitals has largely been unsubstantiated. And even if they were, international law forbids the targeting of civilian infrastructure.
Places of Worship in Rubble: Targeting Identity and Faith
Over 300 mosques and several churches have been targeted and destroyed. This is not collateral damage—it is a deliberate erasure of Palestinian cultural and religious identity. Attacking places of worship is a crime under international law, and doing so under the pretext of security is a form of state terrorism. As Pope Francis stated recently, “No one can ever justify the killing of innocents, nor the destruction of houses of God.”
A Call for Global Action: Humanity Must Not Fail Gaza
Gaza needs more than words. It needs immediate humanitarian aid, a permanent ceasefire, and an end to the Israeli occupation. It is time for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to act. It is time for sanctions, arms embargoes, and international accountability.
Civil societies across the world are rising. From Cape Town to Jakarta, London to Kuala Lumpur, millions are marching in solidarity with Palestine. Universities are divesting from companies linked to the occupation. Celebrities and intellectuals are breaking the silence that governments refuse to. The moral leadership is no longer with Washington or Brussels—it is with the people.
 Gaza is Not Alone
As Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently said:
“We cannot speak of human rights if we are silent on Gaza. We cannot speak of justice if we allow war crimes to continue. Palestine is the moral compass of our times.”
The world must choose: silence or solidarity, complicity or conscience. History will not be kind to those who turned their backs on Gaza. But history will remember those who stood, even when it was hard, for the children, for the women, for the wounded, and for the soul of humanity.
Gaza bleeds. But Gaza resists. And the world must not look away.