'Accelerated Genocide': Israeli Soldiers Accused of Targeting Civilians at Food Distribution Sites

Geneva: On June 27, Israel’s leading newspaper Haaretz published a disturbing report alleging that Israeli soldiers had been instructed to open fire on Palestinian civilians gathering near food distribution sites. Shockingly, some soldiers reportedly referred to Palestine as "killing fields" in this context. Following the exposé, the Israeli military announced an investigation into potential war crimes.

The Israeli government swiftly denied Haaretz’s claims, while pro-Israel academics in the Atlantic Society and other institutions dismissed the report as biased, citing the newspaper’s left-leaning editorial stance.

Since Hamas militants killed over 1,000 Israelis on October 7, 2023, international estimates indicate that more than 57,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in the ensuing conflict. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations, and human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have unequivocally condemned Israel’s actions, labelling them an "accelerated genocide."

Echoes of history

In his book The Collaborators: Three Stories of Deception and Survival in World War II, writer Ian Buruma recounts how Jews were dehumanised as “transport material” before being sent to concentration camps like Auschwitz. Having visited Auschwitz in 2016, this correspondent witnessed firsthand the horrors inflicted by the Nazis.

Today, a chilling parallel emerges as Israeli forces refer to Palestinians as “animals” before subjecting them to indiscriminate violence – even as they queue for food. Reports indicate that nearly 600 Palestinians were killed in the past week alone, though the Israeli government attributes these deaths to Hamas.

This raises a harrowing question: is there any moral distinction between the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the actions of the Israeli state in occupied Palestine?

This was the question posed to Dr. Yipeng Ge, a Canadian physician who recently worked in Gaza, and Dr. Maysa Hawwash, founding leader of Doctors Against Genocide, during a press briefing on June 27. The two doctors, who presented their findings to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, detailed the systematic killing of Palestinian medical personnel and the relentless destruction of hospitals.

'Accelerated genocide'

Ge, the primary speaker at the briefing, began by condemning the Canadian government for its complicity in what he described as an “accelerated genocide.” He shared harrowing testimonies of Palestinian medical professionals, women, and children being slaughtered.

When asked whether the current violence in Gaza bears resemblance to the Holocaust, Ge offered a sobering analysis: “People will do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do. But we live in a world where capitalist, colonial, and imperial interests often override basic human rights – dignity, self-determination, even life itself.”

He recounted one particularly devastating testimony from a Gazan: “One person told me they would have preferred to die in a gas chamber with their loved ones – at least it would have been quicker. Today, people are being gunned down alive while scrambling for food after enduring 20 months of starvation, only to witness their families, neighbours, and friends perish around them.”

Ge continued: “This depravity – this evil – is being inflicted upon Gaza with the tacit approval of Israel’s allies. We must ask ourselves how to prevent such horrors from ever recurring. But first, we must stop it. Now.”

He attributed the ongoing genocide to a broader system of oppression: “Colonialism and imperialism have always been synonymous with genocide. The Palestinian people, as indigenous inhabitants of this land, understood this long before the world took notice.”

India’s complicity?

India has notably abstained from most UN resolutions condemning Israel’s actions. When asked whether India bears responsibility, Dr. Hawwash responded cautiously: “We are not experts on India’s stance, but we urge clarity on its obligations under international law. Is India a signatory to the Genocide Convention? What steps has it taken to comply with provisional measures?”

Incidentally, India is a signatory to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948). India signed the convention on November 29, 1949, and ratified it on August 27, 1959, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs. This signifies India's recognition of genocide as an international crime.

She emphasised the need for accountability: “The world must demand answers – not just from Israel, but from those enabling its crimes.”

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