On this day last year, Israel began its most brutal assault on Gaza to date after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel and killed around 1200 people. Over the past year, Israel’s violence has only escalated, expanding to the West Bank as well as Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Yemen. At the time of writing, over 41,000 people have been confirmed by the Ministry of Health to have been killed in Gaza, including nearly 16,500 children. This number is likely an undercount: estimates from independent local medical initiatives have placed the true death toll at close to 200,000.
The past year has been devastating for the people of Gaza. In September, it was estimated that 66 per cent of Gaza’s infrastructure was destroyed by Israeli bombing, including hospitals, schools, and residential buildings. Most of the population has been displaced multiple times, with Israel continuously attacking areas it labels “safe zones.” The humanitarian crisis has even led to a polio outbreak in Gaza, the first in 25 years. Israel has been blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, attacking both those seeking and distributing aid, in violation of international humanitarian law. Reporters Without Borders found that Palestinian journalists attempting to document their genocide have been systematically targeted by Israeli forces.
In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled Israel’s occupation of Gaza and other Palestinian territories to be “unlawful.” They demanded that Israel immediately end its occupation and provide reparations to Palestinian victims. Overwhelming evidence, cited by countless international legal experts, shows that Israel’s actions constitute a categorical genocide.
In the past month, Israel has also escalated attacks on Lebanon, carrying out nightly air strikes on Beirut and launching ground incursions into Southern Lebanon in preparation for an invasion. On September 23, Lebanon experienced its deadliest attacks since the end of the 1975- 1990 civil war, when Israeli air strikes killed 492 people and injured at least 1645 more. It is utterly deplorable that instead of complying with international orders to cease its operations, Israel has instead expanded its violence to neighbouring countries. Israel’s actions have brought the Middle East to the brink of regional war, and the international community must do everything in its power to stop Israel before even more lives are lost.
Israel is not acting alone. Its campaign of genocide in Palestine and Lebanon is fueled by weapons imported from abroad, including from Canada. Although the Trudeau government stopped approving new permits for weapons exports to Israel, it has not revoked any existing permits. According to an investigation by The Maple, approximately $95 million in military goods manufactured in Canada could end up in Israel by 2025. Furthermore, Canadian manufacturers are continuing to export military goods to the United States, which is Israel’s main arms supplier. For example, a recent investigation by The Breach found that the engine sensors used in Lockheed Martin’s F-35 warplanes are solely manufactured by Gastops, a Canadian company. It is imperative that Canada take an immediate stand against the Palestinian genocide by imposing a two-way arms embargo, a demand echoed by many civil society groups. The fact that Israel has been allowed to act with such impunity for the past year, enabled by governments such as Canada and the United States, is shameful.
The effects of the ongoing inhumane violence have been deeply felt by people across the world. Many McGill students have family, friends, or loved ones whose lives may be in danger. In this digital age, we are all witnesses to the violence and dehumanization inflicted by Israel on Palestinians, live- streamed on television and on social media platforms. We are living through what Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour has called “the most documented genocide in history.”
It’s easy to feel as if we are powerless to stop these injustices, but there are still ways that we as students can take action. We can take part in the global Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) student movement calling on universities to divest from companies complicit in genocide. Additionally, there are ways to take action in and around McGill such as going to events put on by QPIRG (@qpirgmcgill) and Arts for Palestinian Liberation (@artsforpalmtl) which focus on bringing attention to the genocide through art, media, and community. Beyond academia, we can engage in protests calling for the Canadian government to take a stand against genocide. If you’re able, you can also financially support people in Palestine and Lebanon by donating to organizations providing aid, such as the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Build Palestine, and Islamic Relief Worldwide’s Lebanon Emergency Appeal.
We at The McGill Daily editorial board stand behind all our readers who have been affected by the horrors unfolding in the Middle East. We are committed to practicing anti-oppressive journalism, as outlined by our Statement of Principles, and reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire. We understand that words cannot capture the gravity of the situation and the magnitude of the suffering. Nevertheless, our hearts go out to you all on this very difficult day.