In addition, Israel has followed an official policy of assassinating its opponents, particularly the Palestinian leaders and their sympathisers and supports. Such assassinations are not restricted to occupied land of Palestine alone. Rather, these are undertaken in many other countries as well. Recent incidents of assassinating Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, who was the chief negotiates and political head of Hamas, and brutal killing of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut, clearly speaks of Israeli assassination policy that is adopted at the state level. Of course, there are many such other example as well.

International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court has already declared that Isarel has committed War Crimes, including genocide. According to the information released by Gaza municipal and medical authorities, more than 40,000 Gazan Palestinians have lost their lives in last elven months. Conservative assessment shows that more than 100, 000 have been injured and many of them are in critical condition or have lost their limbs trough imputation due to inadequate medical facilities. Out of a Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians, more than two million have been forced to leave their homes. Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has pushed all Gazans to a narrow space of southern Gaza by destroying all homes and infrastructure in a systematic campaign of scorched earth, which is aimed at complete ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. IDF have not even spared hospitals, schools, and refugees’ camps, which are protected under Geneva Conventions and International Humanitarian Law.

The whole world is watching such criminal slaughter of unarmed and helpless Palestinians, but no one dares to stop these heinous crimes against humanity. Israel has targeted humanitarian assistance conveys to cause a situation of hunger and famine. International Court of Justice, while giving its verdict against Israel, on January 26, 2024, had clearly directed her to “take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian aid, and to report back on its compliance to the specific measures within one month.” The Israeli government has deliberately ignored to comply with even one such measure. In another decision, the Court ordered that Israel should stop settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and end its ‘illegal occupation’ of those areas and the Gaza Strip. Israel continues to defy the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court, and the entire world.

Few words about high profile assassinations by Israel. For decades, Israel has assassinated Palestinian leaders, who resist their illegal occupation. The crime has been committed in occupied territories and abroad as well. Most authentic details are available at ‘Jewish Virtual Library’ website under the title of ‘Israel Counter-Terrorism: Targeted Killings of Terrorists.’ Among many, the list includes the names of Ismail Haniyeh, Fuad Shukr, and (Brigadier) General Mohamad Reza Zahedi,  It is interesting to know that along with names of the persons, who have been assassinated, their affiliation such as, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Iranian Revolutionary Guard and reason for killing them are also mentioned. All this has been mentioned as a part of Israeli counter terrorism operations.

It must be recalled that besides Ismail Haniyeh and Fuad Shuk, who were assassinated outside Gaza, Israel also assassinated Iran’s senior military commander, General Qasim Sulaimani, on January 3, 2020, in the premises of the Baghdad International Airport. Some annalists attribute this assassination to the United States through a drone strike. Israel also carried a strike against Iranian Consulate in Damascus, violating all international norms of diplomacy and international law, which caused the death of number of military officers. In January 2024, Israel claimed to assassinate Sali Aluri, the founder of Hamas’ armed wing. Earlier, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, an elderly religious leader of Palestine, who was almost paralysed, was assassinated in an Israeli attack on 22 March 2004. He was being carried on a wheelchair for early morning prayer in Gaza City. Even Yasir Arafat, leader of PLO is believed to have died unexpectedly under suspicious circumstances, in 2004. Some speculations were made that he was poisoned. There are reports that many Iranian scientists have also been assassinated by Israel, of course, through their agents. We must remember that World War I was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.

The question arises: ‘Will Israel succeed in carrying out ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza?’ Indeed, it has already done that. Of course, Palestinians have shown more resilience and steadfastness to endure Israeli war crimes, albeit without much support from the world. The response of the Muslim world and their leaders has been most shameful.

 The second question is whether Israel will be able to break the will of the Palestinian people to resistance illegal occupation of their land, particularly through assassinating their prominent leaders? The answer is No, it will not be possible. One of the biggest lessons of history is that no amount of oppression and repression has been able to supress the freedom struggles as long as the freedom fighters are determined to seek their freedom at all costs.

Before Ismail Haniyeh’s martyrdom, Israel had assassinated his three sones and four grand children. At this occasion, though filled with extreme grief and sorrow, Ismail Haniyeh had said: “We are a resistance movement, and the resistance must be victorious. The killing will simply strength Palestinian determination. They (Israelis) believe that if they kill or assassinate leaders or their next of kin that we will abandon our people, that we will abandon our resistance, they are mistaken. This noble blood that is spilled including my own children will harden our resolve, make us more defiant, more adamant to continue to march on this road. The struggle and resistance, until we win our freedom and lawful rights to the Palestinian people are restored, will continue.”

The U.S., Israel, and its western supporters must understand that those who are killed in Palestinian struggle for freedom are quickly replaced. No vacuum exists. Yahya Sinwar has replaced Ismail Haniyeh. Freedom struggles survive on the collective will and determination of people who struggle for freedom and on their willingness to sacrifice for their just cause. Netanyahu wants to escalate and expand the conflict for domestic political reasons. Any escalation of the conflict may drag Iran and U.S. into a bigger region conflict but it will not resolve the conflict.

This article was published by Daily Minute Mirror, Lahore, Pakistan on August 18, 2024.