he genocidal war in Gaza, unfortunately, seems endless. Since October 7, around 30,000 unarmed civilians have been brutally killed by the Israel Defense Forces. The deceased include children, many of whom died with toys in their laps.

The number of wounded in this barbaric war, unleashed on an already occupied nation, has surpassed 70,000. Hospitals, roads, schools, community centres and mosques have been decimated by the IDF, being ruthlessly deployed by the Zionist regime led by a war criminal and racist, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his blood-thirsty cabinet colleagues, who apparently believe in an ideology of hate and annihilation.

Importantly, hundreds and thousands of Gazans are fleeing from their own land to nowhere. A majority of the survivors is starving with little hope of humanitarian aid reaching them.

The neighboring Arab countries, such as Egypt, are paying only lip service as far as the reception of refugees is concerned. Indeed, all doors are shut on the war-ravaged Palestinians but that of death. With the minor exception of Qatar, where Aljazeera is covering the genocidal war consistently despite foreign pressure, the Muslim world seems silent. The Organisation of Islamic Conferencce remains as lethargic as is the so-called Arab League. After almost five months of war in Gaza and Israeli aggression in the West Bank, no concrete measures have been taken by the Muslim countries.

Diplomatically, Pakistan highlighted the Palestine cause at the United Nations. Lately, Saudi Arabia has hinted at halting the normalisation process with Israel. Much more was needed to press the major powers, especially the US, to stop military and moral support to the Zionist regime in Tel Aviv.

Due largely to electoral interests, the Biden administration is in no mood to say anything antithetical to the Israeli regime and its corporate supporters in the US. The big money, controlled by the pro-Israeli corporations and companies, is deemed essential to launch an effective election campaign to counter the Trump team, which is also supportive of the ongoing genocidal war on the Gazans. The way Hillary Clinton tried to cover up the Israeli war machinations and consequent killings is a reflection of the American military-industrial complex to whom political and strategic interests matter the more than the gravest violations of human rights. Such fascist around the world have called Palestinians and other peripheral people untermensch (subhuman).

Ironically, while the Muslims states failed to adopt a unanimous pro-humanity stance on Gaza, South Africa has stood up in terms of legally contesting the Israeli aggression against the unarmed population affected by the ongoing genocidal war. After detailed deliberations, the ICJ made a provisional judgment on January 26 ordering Israel to “take all steps within its power to ensure genocidal acts are not being committed in its war on Gaza.”

Moreover, the ICJ noted that the latest developments in Gaza, in Rafah in particular, “would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences.” Not abiding by the international law and the orders of the ICJ, Israel killed two persons in Syria the other day. It has already bombarded the unarmed civilian population in Lebanon.

After almost five months of mayhem in terms of a genocidal war and its deadly consequences, i.e. displacement, Gaza is still bleeding. Children, among others, are starving. The Western powers, led by the US, have not bothered to urge the Zionist regime to stop shooting immediately. A recent survey done by Quinnipiac University has indicated that 48 percent of American respondents opposed further military assistance to Israel; 44 percent supported it. Importantly, 62 percent of respondents disapproved of Biden’s handling of the war on Gazans.

Despite calling itself a harbinger of liberal democracy, the Biden administration seems oblivious to the pro-Gaza public sentiment expressed through various protests and marches. Unsurprisingly, the Biden-led US vetoed down a UNSC resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. This is the third time since October 7 the US has exercised the veto power, allowing the genocide in Gaza to go on. Meanwhile, the social media space is filled with horrific images and visuals of mutilated children, women and the elderly. It was a 13-1 vote in the 15-member UN Security Council as the UK abstained.

China, on the other hand, voted in favor of the resolution, calling for an immediate ceasefire. “The US veto sends a wrong message, pushing the situation in Gaza into a more dangerous one… this is no different from giving the green light to the continued slaughter… only by extinguishing the flames of war in Gaza can the world prevent the fires of hell from engulfing the entire region” said Zhang Jun, China’s envoy to the UN.

It’s time the Biden administration revised its policy on Palestine and urged the Zionist regime to implement an immediate ceasefire and put an end to the genocidal war. The ultimate solution to the Palestine conflict lies in creating a separate state for the people of Palestine where they can live in peace.

The US and its European allies ought to pay serious heed to what the Chinese and Brazilians are saying. “What’s happening in the Gaza Strip isn’t a war, it’s a genocide,” Lula, the Brazilian president, told the press in Addis Ababa where he attended an African Union summit last Sunday. More people will be saying this if the genocide is not stopped soon.

The writer has a PhD in political science from Heidelberg University and a post-doc from UC Berkeley. He is a DAAD, FDDI and Fulbright fellow and an associate professor. He can be reached at ejaz.bhatty@gmail.com