Gaza: the humanitarian crisis turning citizens against governments

THE Palestine issue is multi-faceted. But some of the uglier facets are now being described with terms that I have never come across before. "Domicide"? That’s the extensive destruction of civilian homes and infrastructure. "Medicide"? That’s the extensive destruction of medical facilities and targeting of medical staff. "Ecocide"? That’s the extensive destruction of ecosystems.

I’ve never seen these terms before, I doubt that many people have. But these words exist. They just weren’t being used by us because we didn’t need to use them previously. We’d never encountered acts of "domicide", "medicide" or "ecocide". These words describe crimes, and they are crimes that Israel is committing right now. 

Then there are other terms that might be more familiar, yet hardly more comforting. Genocide, ethnic cleansing and famine. Racism, apartheid and settler-colonialism. Authoritarianism, media censorship and oppression. All terms that cast a shadow over the heart and mind.

Fortunately, there are also terms that help dispel the shadow, in some small measure. Terms such as humanity and compassion. International solidarity, resistance and collective liberation. Defiance and commitment. Justice  The Israeli apartheid state has manufactured a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. There are no sources of basic necessities in this besieged enclave of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The UN World Food Programme reports that at least 100 children have already died from malnourishment, with the balance of the population at risk of starvation. It is infuriating to know that the famine in Gaza is entirely man-made. The only reason for this famine is that the Israeli government, the Israeli military and members of Israeli society are blocking the entry of essential humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Barely 40 aid trucks enter Gaza each day, for a population that needs five hundred for survival. The Israeli military deliberately delays the movement of trucks and often denies them permission to enter. Even if aid trucks are allowed to pass through the checkpoints, the Israelis direct the trucks to routes that are attacked by armed criminal gangs with suspiciously accurate knowledge of convoy schedules.

International organisations (like the UN) can bring nothing more than a trickle of humanitarian aid to the starving population. Aid supplies are also distributed through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the recently formed shadowy "humanitarian" organisation staffed by former American military personnel and funded by the United States. GHF aid distribution sites are surrounded by Israeli military forces and used as killing zones.

Both GHF personnel and Israeli forces have been responsible for killing at least 1 000 desperate Palestinian civilians attempting to collect the meager GHF aid packs. On August 5, 2025, a group of international humanitarian experts addressed the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (the leading United Nations entity in the field of human rights).

In their statement, these experts said the following: “The GHF, a non-governmental organisation created by Israel in February 2025, with US support, to allegedly distribute aid in Gaza, is an utterly disturbing example of how humanitarian relief can be exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas in serious breach of international law. The entanglement of Israeli intelligence, US contractors and ambiguous non-governmental entities underlines the urgent need for robust international oversight and action under UN auspices.” 

"Robust international oversight and action" has not been forthcoming. Hardly a surprise. Most governments in the "international community" seem incapable of taking concrete measures to stop the litany of atrocities and war crimes committed by Israel and its accomplices. Blindly unconditional support from the United States, combined with the inaction of the "international community" has simply emboldened the Israeli state into expanding its genocidal and ethnic cleansing operations.

Human beings around the globe have been horrified witnesses to this genocide, and it has resulted in a level of international solidarity with the Palestinian people that has never been seen before. The narrative of the "Palestinian terrorist" has changed entirely, and it is reflected in a tidal wave of international support for the Palestinians among the citizens of the world.  The level of outrage at the cruel conditions imposed on the Palestinians has given impetus to the launch of yet another civilian naval attempt to break the blockade of Gaza.

On August 31, the Gaza Freedom Flotilla plans to set sail with cargoes of vital humanitarian aid. The Israeli navy has stopped the previous boats attempting to reach Gaza. However, this time is different. Instead of one boat like the "Madleen", the "Handala" or the "Conscience", this time there are plans for a fleet of boats to sail to Gaza.

South Africa will have at least one representative on this fleet, Chief Zwelivile Mandla Mandela, the grand-son of our late President Nelson Mandela, and a staunch Palestinian supporter in his own right. He will be accompanying a fully international contingent of international solidarity activists.

In Belgium, airport crew refuse to work on Israeli commercial flights. In France, dockworkers refuse to load ships heading to Israel. In Greece, citizens prevent Israeli holiday cruise ships from docking on Greek islands. In the United Kingdom, thousands protest weekly under threat of arrest and Israeli-linked companies are being boycotted, or sabotaged. Norway’s sovereign investment fund has voted to divest itself from its holdings in Israeli companies. In our own South Africa, the largest trade union federation, COSATU, has pledged its support for embargoing Glencore, the Swiss mining giant, from exporting South African coal to Israel.

These are actions born from an increasing awareness that the inaction of governments and the greed of the corporate sector has led to the tremendous loss of life in Palestine, and other conflict areas like Congo and Sudan. These actions are reminiscent of the international anti apartheid movement that opposed apartheid South Africa, coupled with a growing belief that it is citizens who need to force a correction.

In the words of Italian philosopher, Antonio Gramsci "The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters". 

Yeshelen Govender writes in his capacity as an active member of the South Africa Palestine Movement (SAPM). 

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. 

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