Let me at the outset state that what Hamas did on Oct. 7, 2023, is an act of terrorism on the innocent civilians of Israel. This is a deplorable act and the persons who carried it out should be brought to justice. However, the brutal war on the stateless Palestinians by the Israeli Government — with almost 30,000 dead, including innocent women and children — is a genocide.

If Putin is a war criminal because of his actions on Ukraine; Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the authorities in the Israeli Government along with the Israel Defense Forces should be brought before the International Criminal Court.

Rather than showing restraint, Israel has embarked on a mission to wipe Gaza off the map. So much so, that the leaders of Israel seem to be on a mission to secretly rid the Palestinian people of Gaza.

Shamelessly, even before the bombs have fallen silent; Israel is talking of a buffer zone carved out of the destroyed Gaza and also eyeing a similar zone in Lebanon. It is sad to see that while 10 million people in Israel have a decent livelihood in 8,500 square miles, 2 million Gazans are crammed in an area of less than 140 square miles, with another 3.5 million Palestinians in 2,000 square miles of the West Bank. The Gazans now trapped in Southern Gaza are being systematically wounded and killed as they have nowhere to go. Now, Israel is close to attacking Rafah, where 1.4 million Gazans are struggling to stay alive from hunger and famine. Incursions into the West Bank by the IDF appears to be a planned strategy.

Before unleashing the might of the Israeli arsenal, aided by U.S. dollars, the plight of the Palestinian people should have been taken into account. Hamas’ actions on Oct. 7 did not happen in a vacuum. Gazans and the Palestinians in the West Bank have been living under Israeli occupation and apartheid for over seven decades — dreaming all the while of a free Palestine.

When actions of stateless actors are perceived as terrorism, dropping of tons of bombs from 28,000 feet by countries should also be treated as terrorism against the innocent population. If 1,400 lives of Israelis are precious; shouldn’t 30,000 deaths of innocent children and women be also treated as state-sponsored terrorism? Hiding under the excuse, that collateral damage is permitted in the eradication of terrorists is an unsustainable lie perpetrated constantly by Israel and the U.S. In this recent carnage carried out by Israel in bombing civilian areas, hospitals, and schools with deaths of innocent Gazans without proper food, medical care and shelter is a war crime.

I would like to see a deradicalization of the Israeli Jews and a stop to the expansion of settlements into Palestinian areas. Just as deradicalizing the Israeli population is a myth, propping up an Israeli and Western-friendly political force in Gaza and the West Bank may be farfetched. Accepting the Palestine people’s choice immediately after the war should be the only tenable goal.