'The struggle for the Palestinians goes to the very heart of global justice.'
As the humanitarian crisis worsens in Gaza, peace activists have promised to escalate their efforts for Palestinians in 2025.
On January 2, Israeli forces carried out more than 30 strikes, including in the so-called humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi and northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza’s government media office said.
Al-Mawasi is home to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians seeking shelter in tents during the cold, wet winter. The Israeli military claimed it had warned people to evacuate before the attack. But the UN has warned there are no “safe enclaves” in Gaza anymore and that frequent Israeli evacuation orders are worsening the situation.
On December 27, the last operational hospital in northern Gaza, Kamal Adwan Hospital, was destroyed in an Israeli attack. The hospital had also served as a refuge for Palestinians whose homes had been destroyed.
According to the local health ministry, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 45,500 Palestinians, since the attack by Hamas on October 7 2023, and displaced nearly 90 percent of the sieged territory’s 2.3 million people. Humanitarian agencies estimate that 1.6 million Gazans are living in makeshift shelters, nearly half a million in flood-prone areas, where heavy rain has displaced people living in tents.
In response to the worsening crisis, peace activists are pledging to escalate their efforts this year.
Jeremy Corbyn, founder of the Peace and Justice project, condemned the destruction of the Kamal Adwan Hospital.
“Israel has destroyed the last remaining hospital in northern Gaza. We have witnessed the total decimation of Palestinian healthcare, met with silence from political leaders who refuse to acknowledge the horrors they have enabled. This is the dehumanising reality of genocide,” said the former Labour leader.
A spokeswoman for the Stop the War Coalition reiterated the need to continue the fight for justice. “As Israel’s genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank continues in real time, we will not give up our fight for justice for Palestine and for ending this government’s complicity in genocide.
“It is clear that this year is going to be dangerous and unstable, which is why we will continue to protest,” they said.
The first national march for Palestine in 2025 will take place on January 18, starting outside the BBC headquarters in London. This BBC has been accused – including by many of its own staff – of giving Israel favourable coverage in its reporting of the war on Gaza, and criticised for a lack of “accurate evidence-based journalism.”
Sophie Bolt, general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and one of the march’s organisers, stressed that ongoing public pressure is crucial. “The struggle for the Palestinians goes to the very heart of global justice.
“We are part of a huge movement across the world that understands the need for a new world order that respects human life, international law and peaceful co-operation. With Trump in the White House, this has never been more urgent.
“This is why our continued protest is absolutely critical. Continuing the boycotts and divestments, the direct action to stop the manufacture of weaponry and the huge national protests are all vital to ending Israel’s genocidal military expansion which now threatens Syria and Iran.”
Image: Kamal Adwan Hospital – X screenshot
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