70th Vigil

Gaza: ‘These atrocities were committed in our name’ Haaretz

April 2025

It seems almost unbelievable that a group of people come together every Saturday to stand in a vigil for half an hour on behalf of peace in the Middle East. The horror of October 7th 2023 brought us together but this has been superseded by Israel’s response involving around 50,000 deaths – including many women and children – and the massive destruction of large parts of Gaza. However, things may have changed this week.

There was initially, a large measure of sympathy for Israel and the death of around 1,200 of its people and the taking of 251 hostages. Retaliation was expected but the scale of it has exceeded anything imaginable and is now regarded as a war crime.

Deliberate destruction?

The bombing seemed indiscriminate which is probably a mistaken description. There seems to have been a deliberate attempt to destroy community facilities of one sort or another: schools, hospitals, clinics, water plants and places of worship were all targeted. The reason given in each case was that they were places where Hamas were operating and were often said to be ‘control centres’. Since independent journalists are not allowed in, Israeli claims could not be verified. All aid and electricity has been cut off.

Western media has solemnly reported after a bombing of a hospital say, that Israel had targeted the building because Hamas was using it as a human shield or that it was a control centre. Little or no evidence was ever produced. Thus media have been complicit in their quest for ‘balance’ by reporting the reason for the death of women and children was because of Hamas were somehow involved or were hidden in the hospital.

This week has seen the discovery of a grave in which the decaying bodies of 15 Palestinian medical staff from Red Crescent, and one UN member, were discovered. They were all shot one by one, one man had his hands tied. It looked like an execution in other words. We initially had the usual story that the vehicles were approaching ‘suspiciously’ and without lights. Footage has now appeared to show the vehicles did have lights on and flashing lights. One man was led away blindfolded and his whereabouts is unknown. No weapons were found so claims that they were Hamas were untrue. This incident has shown the standard response by the IDF to killings is unreliable and untrustworthy. It is probable that without independent verification of claims made by IDF, which are reported as fact by western media, it has led to a degree of cavalier carelessness with the truth. Such is the accumulation of evidence about this incident, that Israel has said it will mount an investigation.

Haaretz reports (April 6th) that the 15 dead join around a thousand other medical and aid workers killed in the conflict. It says that the IDF is ignoring both its own and international rules of conflict in the area. The other worrying trend – the undisciplined behaviour of Israeli forces – has spilled over into the West Bank the paper reports where violence against Palestinians has increased markedly. In an editorial they say: “Even though this government would like the war to continue forever, it will end someday. And on that day, the IDF and Israeli society as a whole will be forced to look in the mirror and deal with the knowledge that these atrocities were committed in our name”.

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A video of the 70th vigil is available here.

Link to the website of Salisbury Concern for Israel Palestine (SCIP)