Gaza: Weapons of war, funded by silence

May 19, 2025 by News Desk

Raqif Makhdoomi

Have you ever imagined holding a 5-year-old wrapped in a white shroud? Have you ever seen a 10-year-old carrying an empty bottle, desperately searching for water? Have you ever thought children would be pushing each other for a piece of bread?

While reading these lines, you might think the writer is referring to a movie scene. But no, this is the tragic reality unfolding in a part of the world we all know as Gaza.

As I write this piece—and as you read it—a bomb is being dropped on Gaza by Israel.

Israel came into existence after the Balfour Declaration was signed. In 1917, the British government issued a statement known as the Balfour Declaration. It was expressed in a letter dated November 2, 1917, from Arthur Balfour, then British Foreign Secretary, to Lord Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community. Here lies a critical point: the people of Palestine were never considered or consulted in this declaration. Let this be clear once and for all: “It didn’t start on October 7, 2023—it began in 1917.” October is merely a date being used to justify the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Casualties and Displacement

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, as cited by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 52,653 Palestinians have been killed and 118,897 injured in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and May 7, 2025. A detailed breakdown from October 2024 shows that among 40,717 documented fatalities, 13,319 were children, 7,216 women, 3,447 elderly, and 16,735 men, including 786 children under the age of one. Additionally, over 11,000 people are reported missing, many likely buried beneath the rubble.

In Israel, the October 2023 attack killed 1,195 people, injured 5,432, and 125 hostages remain in Gaza as of mid-2024. In the West Bank, 894 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, 88 of them in 2025 alone.

About 1.9 million people—90% of Gaza’s population—have been displaced, many of them multiple times. Since the ceasefire collapsed on March 18, 2025, an additional 429,000–430,000 people have been displaced due to evacuation orders and ongoing fighting. Rafah has become a complete no-go zone, while 84% of North Gaza and 78% of Gaza City are similarly restricted.

Over 90,000 displaced people are sheltering in 115 UNRWA-run facilities, which have been repeatedly attacked. There have been 832 incidents impacting UNRWA premises since the war began.

When you read the word wounded, remember: these are not people who will simply recover and return to normal lives. Some have lost an arm—or both. Some have lost a leg—or both. Others have lost their faces or their eyes. The wounded in Gaza are what can only be described as “half-dead.”

I came across a photo of a severely injured girl. One of her limbs was completely severed, the other partially damaged. Her face was disfigured. That is what “wounded” looks like in Gaza.

Newborn babies are being buried instead of being fed by their mothers.

Israeli Member of Parliament Michal Waldiger reportedly stated: “No one is innocent in Gaza, children too must be killed.” This is open genocide—and the world remains indifferent.

On the contrary, many countries are supplying weapons to Israel, openly supporting this genocide. The United Kingdom is among the largest arms suppliers. After arming Israel, these nations hypocritically call for a “ceasefire.” If they truly wanted peace, they would stop supplying weapons. Selling arms and then calling for peace is not diplomacy—it is deceit.

We must not forget: this ongoing genocide has roots in British colonial ambition, specifically their desire to establish a Jewish nation in the heart of a Muslim land.

Germany, too, expresses deep concern for Jews. Yet history shows that Jews were once expelled from Germany, rejected by many nations while dying at sea. It was the people of Palestine who extended a hand of humanity and gave them refuge.

Now, those same people are being killed. Germany must be told: take them back if you’re so concerned—end this injustice and restore peace.

The Israeli military has intensified its operations in Gaza, launching waves of airstrikes and deploying more ground troops to establish control in parts of the enclave.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that the escalated assault marks the beginning of a new operation, code-named “Gideon’s Chariots”, aiming to expand the fighting and achieve objectives including hostage release and dismantling of Hamas.

Every 4 minutes, an Israeli airstrike hits Gaza–Every 4 minutes.

Artillery shelling and gunfire are constant.

“A single 155mm shell disperses 2,000 lethal metal fragments in all directions within 300 meters of the blast. All of it supplied and subsidized by the United States,” Muhammad Shehada Gazan political analyst and writer

In a world where people—just like us—are being killed, humanity has failed. We have done far too little to stop the genocide of the Palestinian people. Gaza is on the verge of being wiped out. We must not be mute spectators. All countries supplying arms to Israel must stop—immediately. It is already too late. The world must unite to call on Israel to end the genocide.

Israel has cut off all aid to Gaza. Children are crying in hunger, and mothers have nothing to feed them. Famine is now a weapon of war.

Israel has violated nearly every international law, UN resolution, and the Geneva Conventions, yet no military action is taken against it. If this were any other country, the United States would have destroyed it in the name of fighting terror and restoring democracy.

But when it comes to Gaza, the U.S. sees no threat. The world must stand up and speak. Speak—before it’s too late.

The author is a human Rights Activist and Law Student