Since its creation in 1948, Israeli has perpetually committed war crimes, including genocide, ethnic cleansing, blockade to cause famine, starvation as a weapon of war, destroying livelihood of Palestinians, and attacking food and humanitarian assistance conveys at Gaza unabatedly. Since October 2023, the crimes have increased manifolds. War crimes are the violations of international criminal law, including the international humanitarian laws as well. All such crimes have been documented and acknowledged by the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Human Rights Commission, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the Inter Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and all most all renowned international human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch. But that does deter Israel at all because she is being encouraged by the United States and many West European countries to continue committing such crimes. Indeed, they do not wish to stop the ongoing genocide of Muslims. In fact, many of them are accomplices to these heinous crimes against humanity by providing diplomatic, financial, and military support to Israel. They have discouraged and hindered all efforts of ceasefire during the deliberations conducted at the United Nations Security Council. The United States is a case in point, in particular.

Human history is replete of wars and conflicts and resultant loss of human lives and destruction of cities and mean of livelihood. However, most religions and civilizations have tried to develop philosophies and laws that would  curtail and limit the horrors of war. Islam has laid strict rules that governs the armed conflict, including complete prohibition for killing and harming noncombatants, elderly persons, women, and children. Islam even prohibits killing of animals, cutting of fruit trees and causing destruction that hinders human livelihood. Damaging or destroying religious or worship places is also strongly forbidden.

Gazan Palestinians have been subjected to worst war crimes by unbridled Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in its unrestrained brutal genocide. IDF is employing all possible means of mass killing, with the intent of carrying out ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, especially in Gaza, in the last five months. Though, this process has been going on in Palestine for last one hundred years. In the recent conflict, since October 2023, IDF has killed over thirty-two thousand Gazans, beside severely injuring over eighty thousand. Most of the victims are innocent civilians and non-combatants, mostly children, women, elderly persons, and sick and wounded patients, who were in hospitals. In addition to having destroyed most houses, hospitals, and schools indiscriminately, IDF has displaced two million inhabitants of Gaza, forcing them to escape to eastern part of the narrow strip. These Palestinian are living in southern Gazan under inhuman conditions, without any water, food, medicines, and shelter.

Has the United Nations (UN) been totally undermined, marginalized, and declared redundant by the US and UK? At least in the context of its primary role of maintaining international peace and security. Failure to reform, UN Security Council (UNSC) has become completely hostage to the US veto, particularly on Israel – Palestine conflict. The US and Israel have decided to ignore, defy, and flout the opinion of the international community, and rest of the world.

Although it is an unfamiliar word for new generation, our generation knows very well what is tried to be told when it comes to Malta.

In Malta prisons, it is used to mean the prison yard with a ceiling surrounded by walls and sky where prisoners go out and pace at certain hours.