• THE Ministry of Health (MoH), Gaza, reported on May 17 that 212 Palestinians have been killed, including 61 children, 36 women and 16 elderly people; and there are 1,400 wounded.

As Jewish people, we are compelled to quote deceased Jewish MP Sir Gerald Kaufman: “My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza”.

And we must add: these war crimes must stop.

The MoH said that Israeli forces targeted densely populated residential areas, displacing 40,000 families to shelters, which are now dangerous environments for the rapid spread of Covid-19 – especially given the damage to their coronavirus testing and Covid-19 vaccinations facilities.

Israel has blocked Gaza’s access to vaccine, and then destroys their facilities!

The Guardian this week reported on “massive destruction”: including four hospitals run by Gaza’s MoH, two hospitals run by NGOs, two clinics, a health centre and a facility belonging to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

Al Jazeera reported that Dr Ayman Abu al-Ouf, head of internal medicine at Al-Shifa hospital, was killed along with members of his family in an early morning missile attack on Sunday; as was Dr Mooein Ahmad al-Aloul, a 66-year-old psychiatric neurologist.

Jewish Israeli journalist Amira Hass, says “The Gaza Strip today is a concentration camp”, illegally under siege and blockaded for the past 14 years resulting in shortages of medical supplies and equipment, and practically everything else, even water.

Remarkably, Palestinians refuse to be starved into submission. Palestinians have begun a general strike; on Saturday there will be demonstrations all over the United Kingdon.

Well over 300,000 people have signed a petition calling on parliament to “Introduce sanctions against Israel” – it is urgent to sign: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/585314.

And we must join with the great non-violent Palestinian-led anti-racist BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions) until Israel complies with international law, including, crucially, the Palestinian right of return.

MICHAEL KALMANOVITZ
International Jewish
Anti-Zionist Network UK