Why?

 

Jeffrey St. Clair >>

A ceasefire deal seems to have been reached in Gaza. Great. But recall that Israel has breached the Lebanon truce nearly 500 times in the two months since it was signed…and any retaliation or defensive measures taken by Palestinians will be considered a violation, which is how Israel justified ending the first ceasefire/hostage release deal back in late November 2023.

This ceasefire deal could have been reached any time since May and likely anytime since December of 2023, as Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed, acidly noted: “13 months of a waste, of negotiating details that [have] no meaning and aren’t worth any single life that we lost in Gaza, or any single life of those hostages.” It wasn’t because neither Netanyahu nor Biden wanted an agreement; even after the leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah had been eliminated, the mass killing and destruction went on.

According to many reports, Wednesday was one of the bloodiest days in Gaza in months, with Israeli airstrikes on Palestinian tent camps, homes, apartments, and journalists. At least 80 Palestinians were killed and nearly 200 injured. How many more Palestinians will Israel kill in the next four days before the ceasefire takes effect (if it does)?

Who will be the last Palestinian child killed by an Israeli-launched US-made bomb in Gaza in the days and hours before the ceasefire commences? (During WW I, the US and UK forces launched a senseless massive artillery barrage on German positions after they’d laid down their arms in the minutes leading up to the 11 a.m. start of the Armistice. At least 2,738 men were killed on the final morning of the war.) Why?