Gaza as an extermination camp

Hilal Kaplan

Among the phrases causing considerable unease among Israel and its supporters lately are “concentration camp,” “Auschwitz” and “genocide.”

In a statement released by the World Jewish Congress in January, titled “No, Gaza is not Auschwitz,” there is evident discomfort not only with the comparison but also with the use of the term “Nakba” (catastrophe) to describe the tragic displacement and loss of life endured by Palestinians during the 1948 exodus. However, both historical realities and the increasingly aggressive rhetoric from Israeli authorities over the years unequivocally illustrate that we have been experiencing a modern-day equivalent of the Holocaust for which Israel has been making the West “pay” the price for more than 80 years.

From the use of banned chemical weapons to the deliberate weaponization of starvation, every method that turns a conflict from warfare into genocide has been employed in Gaza. One of the Nazis’ most significant tactics was to confine Jews, Romani and Slavs to the Warsaw ghettos, where they faced death by starvation. Today, under the guise of a “safe zone,” over 2 million Palestinians are crammed into a 3-square-kilometer (1.16-square-mile) area, confronting constant shelling on one side and starvation and thirst on the other.

In countless cinematic portrayals aimed at winning global sympathy, Auschwitz, often depicted as the cursed ground of genocide, witnessed 1.3 million individuals crowded into a mere 5.5 square kilometers. Today, over 2 million civilians from Gaza are fighting for survival in a camp spanning just 3 square kilometers, with barely enough space for two people per square meter. They endure thirst and power shortages amid the unforgiving terrain of sand dunes.

‘Let it become a museum’

Just as David Azoulai, a member of the municipal council of the city of Metula in northern Israel, stated: “Tell everyone in Gaza to go to the beaches. Navy ships should load the terrorists onto the shores of Lebanon. The entire Gaza Strip should be emptied and leveled flat, just like in Auschwitz. Let it become a museum, showcasing the capabilities of the State of Israel and dissuading anyone from living in the Gaza Strip. This is what must be done to give them a visual representation.” And indeed, it is happening.

After 200 days since the onset of the Gaza massacre, the death toll among Palestinians is nearing 35,000. Beneath hospitals in the Gaza Strip, mass graves are being discovered. According to a statement by a member of the Palestinian Civil Defense agency, it appears that 20 individuals found in mass graves beneath Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Yunis were buried alive.

Gaza has transformed from an open-air “prison” to an open-air “extermination camp.” Once synonymous with victims, whenever the term “genocide” was invoked, today, they have unfortunately become synonymous with perpetrators in the eyes of the world.

Sabah Gazetesi