THOUSANDS rallied outside Parliament on Monday night in a powerful demonstration of solidarity with Palestine that directly reflects the support of the overwhelming mass of workers and youth and opposition to Zionist occupation and genocide.
Central to Monday’s rally, organised by the Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) in partnership with other organisations supporting Palestinian resistance, was highlighting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza – deliberately carried out by the Zionist regime as part of its war to drive Palestinians out of Gaza through a campaign of mass, indiscriminate killings.
At least 45,885 Palestinians have been killed, the majority being women and children, since October 2023 while at least 109,196 have been injured.
Thousands more are unaccountable as their bodies lie beneath the rubble and are unable to be retrieved.
The bombings and shootings carried out by the Israeli occupation force are accompanied by the deliberate policy of starvation and destruction of hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
On Friday 27 December Zionist occupation forces stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last remaining hospital in Gaza, setting it on fire and putting it completely out of service.
Along with hundreds of medical staff, Dr Abu Safiya, the hospital’s director who had steadfastly remained to treat the wounded, was arrested and transported to an interrogation site, ending up in Sde Teyman military camp where it is reported he has been subjected to torture including being whipped with cables, stripped naked and brutally assaulted by the Israeli military.
Israeli authorities initially denied Dr Safiya had been detained but this denial was eventually retracted while they continue to refuse to officially confirm where he is being held.
Yesterday, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI), said that its request for a lawyer to meet with Dr Safiya to evaluate his state of health and detention conditions had been refused by the Israeli military.
PHRI stressed that medical professionals are protected by international humanitarian law, saying: ‘and there is a reason for that and that is if you attack healthcare professionals you attack a whole society, you attack civilians who need medical attention, people with chronic illnesses and people with injuries.’
The PHRI, which is based in Israel, said: ‘More than 1,000 medical professionals were killed, 230 were arrested, 130 are still held in incarceration facilities… More than 70 people have already died in Israeli incarceration facilities.’
As an illustration of the extent of the murderous Israeli regime for detainees, the PHRI concluded: ‘Just as a comparison, nine people died in Guantanamo in 22 years of operation. We have here more than 70 people in just a few months.’
Guantanamo is the notorious torture camp set up by the United States in Cuba to hold prisoners without charge or the prospect of a trial for decades.
Speaking at Monday night’s rally Zeinab Kamal, representing the Palestinian Forum in Britain, said that the intentional targeting of hospitals and the abduction of doctors is a crime against humanity and: ‘We will not stand idle while our government enables these atrocities.’
She continued: ‘It is time to take a courageous stance, impose sanctions on Israel, enact an arms embargo, and demand justice for Gaza. We will persist until the occupation falls, war criminals are held accountable, and Palestine is free.’
Now is most certainly the time for the working class and youth to take action to end the complicity of the Starmer-led Labour government which denies Israeli genocide and continues to arm and support the Israeli regime.
The TUC leaders, who are content to stand idle while the Labour government supports the mass murder of Palestinians, must be either forced to act or be sacked and replaced with a new leadership prepared to organise a general strike to bring down the Starmer government and bring in a workers’ government – a workers government that will immediately break with the Israeli regime, recognise the independent state of Palestine and provide all the necessary financial and military support required to defeat occupation and Zionist genocide, going forward to a free Palestine where all races and religions can live in peace.
This is the only way forward.
