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The announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza this week offers a brief respite amidst one of the most harrowing humanitarian catastrophes of our time.
For over a year, Gaza has endured what can only be described as genocide. Over 46,565 Palestinians have been killed, including 17,492 children.
Another 109,660 have been injured, with countless others still unaccounted for beneath the rubble. Since the ceasefire deal was announced Thursday, Israel has, according to reports, killed over 110 people in Gaza. The ceasefire is due to start Sunday.

Gaza, once vibrant and full of life, now lies in ruins—an uninhabitable prison, a scar on humanity’s conscience.
This ceasefire is not a triumph of international diplomacy but a testament to the resilience of Palestinians and the solidarity of millions around the world who refused to remain silent.
Yet, a ceasefire is not an end—it is merely a pause. Justice must be sought for the victims, and those responsible for these atrocities must be held accountable. And beyond Gaza, justice must extend to all Palestinians who continue to suffer under decades of occupation, apartheid, and dispossession.
Accountability is essential to preventing further atrocities. The genocide in Srebrenica, where over 8,000 Bosniak Muslims were slaughtered in 1995, offers a painful but instructive parallel.
It was only through the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) that the architects of the genocide were brought to justice. This accountability not only delivered justice for victims but sent a global message that crimes against humanity will not go unpunished.
Similarly, the crimes committed in Gaza and across historic Palestine demand robust legal action through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other international mechanisms. Without accountability, impunity will prevail, and the cycle of violence will continue.
The crisis in Gaza has starkly exposed the duplicity of the world. As Baroness Syeda Warsi writes in Muslims Don’t Matter, Palestinians have been defined as “muslims” and subsequently racialised and dehumanised, their suffering rendered invisible.
While governments opened their doors to Ukrainian refugees, Palestinian families were denied refuge and medical aid. Their babies were left to die in the rubble while walls were built to keep them out.
This double standard became painfully clear in the UK. Those marching against genocide were labelled “hate marchers,” their demands for justice conflated with support for terrorism.
Politicians, journalists, and activists advocating for Palestinian rights were dogged by the question: Do you condemn Hamas?—as if supporting Palestine was synonymous with extremism.
This climate of fear and repression extended to institutions. Aspiring politicians, such as Faiza Shaheen, were dropped from selection processes for simply liking tweets supporting Palestine.
Universities clamped down on pro-Palestinian activism, silencing student voices with threats of disciplinary action. The message was clear: solidarity with Palestine would come at a cost. Yet, the movement persisted.
Despite these obstacles, the solidarity we witnessed over the past year was extraordinary. It was a coalition of conscience that transcended borders, faiths, and backgrounds.

Millions marched through the streets of the UK and beyond, united by a shared belief in justice. Voices of support came from unexpected quarters: Gary Lineker spoke out against apartheid, artists like Macklemore used their platforms to demand freedom for Palestine, and grassroots movements swelled in size and determination.
This global movement also reminds us that Gaza is not an isolated tragedy; it is part of the broader Palestinian struggle for justice, dignity, and self-determination.
The occupation, apartheid, and dispossession that underpin this crisis are systemic and require systemic change. Justice for Gaza is inseparable from justice for all of Palestine.
This is not the end of the struggle—it is the beginning. The duplicity of the world will no longer go unnoticed, and the voices of solidarity will only grow louder.
We are entering a new era of accountability, where people refuse to accept oppression as the status quo.
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Justice for Gaza and all of Palestine will be won, not through the corridors of power but through the persistence of ordinary people and the collective demand for freedom and dignity.
The road ahead is long, but it is one we must walk together. For Gaza. For Palestine. For humanity.