Palestinians outside Jabalia Refugee camp in Northern Gaza traverse the ruins on bicycles and horses on January 25, 2024. Photo: Mohammad Balousha/Yousef Fares Telegram.
Palestinian journalist Rajab al-Madhun reports from Gaza for Al-Akhbar.
Although Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip hoped the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) would force the occupying state to cease its war on them, they instead received a decision that did not explicitly call for an end to the war. This half-way decision caused frustration among the majority of Gazans and many expressed their dissatisfaction with the ruling. They consider that it gives the occupying state an additional month to commit further crimes against them, and they are exhausted after nearly four months of brutal war that has left them suffering under the yoke of famine in the north and dire conditions in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Abu Mohammad Al-Atarsh, age 50, expressed his disappointment with the ICJ’s decision, saying, “We hoped that the decision would obligate the occupying state to end the war, stop the famine, and alleviate the difficult humanitarian situation amidst the winter, severe cold, and water scarcity… I no longer believe in any justice on earth or any court or international body that can stop Israeli crimes and massacres.” In his conversation with Al Akhbar, he added, “there is no justice except from Allah. We must endure and wait for relief from Allah.”
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Mohammed Nasar, who was gathering firewood to heat water in front of his house, asked Al-Akhbar, “What is that about a court? The occupation does not care about anyone, and it is determined to destroy Gaza at any cost. Personally, firewood and water are more important to me than the United Nations or its courts, or even all the governments of all the countries of the world combined.”
Hassan Abu Al-Saeed, age 35 from Gaza City, commented, “All we care about is stopping the war and having our people who were displaced from the north return and not allowing the occupation to enforce its authority over us. The occupation is vengeful and wants to destroy all of Gaza. It is supported by the US, providing it with money and weapons, while many Arab countries wish to see Gaza eliminated and the resistance defeated so they can return to normalization… We all know that the court and others will not change anything on the ground.”
“It is clear that the International Court of Justice is biased against Gaza and the Palestinian cause,” he pointed out. “The court did not label Israel as an occupying state, nor did it demand the release of Palestinian prisoners, while it did call for the release of Israeli prisoners held by the resistance.”
“We do not care if Israel is condemned internationally or if the lawsuit against it is accepted, because what matters to us now is stopping the war, providing relief for us and the children, ending the tragedy in the south, and the return of displaced people to their homes in the north, and the immediate start of reconstruction,” al-Saeed added.
Um Sami Atallah, aged 60, who did not evacuate Gaza City despite the intense bombing, told us, “We heard that the court gave the occupying state another month to continue the war and massacres, and if the situation continues like this under the blockade and the prevention of entry of flour and foodstuffs, we will eat cats while waiting for the court’s decision, and we will continue to wait as we have waited for 75 years for the United Nations and the world to stand with us. We do not rely on that court or other courts, because Israel will not stop unless there is an Arab force confronting it.”
(Al-Akhbar) by Rajab al-Madhun
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/DZ/SC
