LETTERS: The huge outcry by the world community of the oppression and war crimes by the zionist Israeli apartheid forces has fallen on deaf ears of the so-called civilised Western leaders, who have given Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu their tacit support.
This has emboldened Netanyahu to act arbitrarily against all rules of international and human right laws. The hands of Western leaders supporting Netanyahu are soaked with the blood of innocent Palestinian civilians, including women and children, killed in the attack.
Two of the many war crimes committed by the Israeli leader are:
1. The bombing of the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza on Oct 18, 2023. The blasts came without warning and targeted the center of the courtyard where hundreds of people were taking refuge.
Scores of bodies were left sprawled in the hospital's courtyard. The initial number of casualties was thought to be 500, then rose to 877, including many children. The courtyard water fountain was the only water source for those without water supply from nearby areas. The videos shown on TV news networks clearly showed the brunt of the attack.
2. The complete deprivation of water, electricity and food supply to an already oppressed people in what amounts to an Israeli concentration camp. No civilised nation would agree that depriving civilians, including children, of food and water is acceptable.
Anyone with a conscience would realise that a civilian population should never be punished in this way. It is collective punishment and it is a war crime. Every life is precious, but the root cause of this violence is Israeli occupation. It's not complicated. It's a settler colonial state imposing apartheid and oppression upon an indigenous people
And, it's true that all the Palestinians want are freedom and equal rights, and we must support that. The Western media has a duty now to tell the truth of what's happening because we are seeing the worst atrocities that we could ever have imagined.
The Allied Coordinating Council of Islamic Non-governmental Organisations Malaysia (ACCIN) together with the civilised world demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. We demand that Israel stop bombing civilians particularly women and children. There must be a humanitarian corridor set up immediately to ensure urgent delivery of aid and medical supplies.
We demand that the long-suffering Palestinian people have access to electricity, food and water. This is an emergency now, a crisis unfolding by the day in Gaza and people must rise against it. Therefore, ACCIN calls for the immediate indictment of the Israeli prime minister in the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes committed brazenly and openly before the eyes of the world.
Mohd Jamaludin Shamsudin
CEO ACCIN, Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times