By Isabela Placencia
The recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas cannot absolve Israel from its ongoing mass death and land disposition campaign against Palestinians, which first began in 1947, as ignoring these crimes will continue to endanger Palestinians.
On Jan. 19, a ceasefire between Gaza’s governmental body and resistance group, Hamas, and Israel’s government came into effect, thus ending 15 months of conflict sparked by the event of Oct. 7, 2023, where Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages. The ceasefire was signed by the cabinet of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas on Jan. 17 for the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages and 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Before the ceasefire and in the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7, Israel conducted an indiscriminate bombing campaign against the Palestinian people, including a siege that cut them off from water, food, electricity and aid. As of Feb. 3, 2025, Gaza’s health ministry has recorded 61,709 deaths, and 14,222 remain missing, according to Al Jazeera. The mass death is tragic yet unsurprising, considering the dense conditions of Gaza and Israel’s non-stop airstrikes.
To preface, Oct. 7 was an unjustified attack, as killing and abducting civilians is never acceptable. However, it is essential to acknowledge that Oct. 7 and the existence of Hamas are symptoms of a greater problem: the colonization of Palestine that has forced Palestinians into a corner. Some of the Palestinians in this corner view Hamas as their only way out, which is why Hamas is referred to as a resistance group.
Quick overview- Formation of Israel
From 1947 to 1949, paramilitary groups, known as Haganah, the Irgun and Lehi that would later become the Israel Defense Forces, expelled around 750,000 Palestinians from their indigenous homeland, destroyed 530 villages, and killed more than 15,000 in a wave of massacres, according to Ilan Pappé, a Israeli historian.
Pappé is a “new Israeli historian,” meaning he is among other Israeli historians of the 1980s who uncovered old documents from Israel’s government and military. These documents revealed the bloody truth of Israel’s formation at the expense of historic Palestine. In 2006, Pappé published “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine,” using the found documents.
The Palestinians refer to their near destruction as the Nakba, while Pappé revealed that David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s First Prime Minister called it Plan Dalet.
The documents revealed that early Israeli leaders intended to eradicate Palestinians. This plan is not over.
Some survivors were moved to different parts of Israel's new state, including Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Today, these locations are considered Palestinian territory controlled by Israel.
The cruel treatment of Palestinians did not end with the Nekba since they still experience racial subjugation and land theft.
Israel controls Palestinian registration bases, which allows the state to track Palestinians with ID cards. These ID cards differ with each territory, but all ensure that Palestinians have fewer rights than Israelis. Palestinians must travel on different roads, their neighborhoods receive less funding, and they have difficulty obtaining building permits, and need permits to travel to certain locations. Palestinians living in Jerusalem have blue IDs while West Bank and Gaza Palestinians have green IDs.
Settlers, usually from America and Europe, are permitted to steal or demolish Palestinian homes with little to no resistance from the IDF. In a 2024 advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice declared settlements in Palestinian territory to be illegal.
No matter the territory, no place is safe for Palestinians. But the conditions in Gaza are worse. This area is often referred to as an open-air prison. Gaza’s current Palestinian population is considered refugees as they are descendants of displaced Palestinians.
For the most part, Palestinians in Gaza are prohibited from leaving the area, and Israel controls everything going in and out of Gaza. In 2018, the United Nations said Gaza “may be unlivable by 2020” due to the lack of clean water and poor economy. After Hamas’ election in 2006, Israel put an indefinite blockade on Gaza that restricted the movement and entrance of essential goods.
Gaza is comparable in land size to Detroit, which has a population of 620,000. Compare that to the 2.3 million people who lived in Gaza before Oct 7. With this population density, the airstrikes by Israel were not precise. Israel claims its main targets are Hamas militants, but to me, the mass civilian deaths (70% women and children) contradict Israel’s claims. Most of Israel’s targets were civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, residential buildings, mosques and schools.
Gaza’s Destruction Overview (Al Jazeera)
The UN estimates that 69% of Gaza structures have been damaged or destroyed
The World Bank estimated $18.5 billion in damages
Most hospitals are inoperable
Water and electricity infrastructure have been destroyed
At least 346 schools have been destroyed or damaged (Since Nov. 6, 2023, no student has been able to attend school.)
Therefore, I, among others, believe Israel’s military and government were deliberately targeting Palestinians. Besides the bombings, Israel starved the Palestinians in Gaza and put them at significant risk for disease. The Palestinian death count is higher than 60,000, as this number does not include deaths from disease or starvation.
Amnesty International, an independent human rights organization, studied Israel’s offensive against Gaza and concluded that Israel is waging a genocide. As proof, Amnesty released a 296-page report describing Israel’s genocidal actions.
Highlights from “ISRAEL’S GENOCIDE AGAINST PALESTINIANS IN GAZA”
Amnesty said Israel’s actions coincide with three out of five listed criteria and intent for Genocide as established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1946
Killing members of the group
Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part
Amnesty points to the destruction of essential infrastructure: homes, agricultural land, water and sanitation
Blocking the entry of food and medical supplies
Additionally, the mass displacements of 90% of Gaza’s population under inhumane conditions are included, since Palestinians are not provided aid nor enough time to gather life-saving essentials.
Amnesty provided proof of Israel’s intent by referring to dehumanizing language from Israeli officials.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “This is a struggle of light and the children of darkness, between humanity and the law of the jungle.”
Former Israel Minster of Defense Yoav Gallant said, “No electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly.
Netanyahu’s and Gallant’s comments, coupled with their actions, resulted in the International Court of Justice issuing warrants for war crimes. America is a staunch ally to Israel as it opposes ICJ’s warrants, has sent $18 billion in military aid and has suppressed pro-Palestine speech. President Donald Trump also said he wants to move Gaza’s population to Egypt and Jordan so America can own Gaza.
America’s support of Israel through taxes and its inability to hold Israel accountable make all American citizens complicit.
Palestinians have marked my soul, as I cannot be the same after witnessing a genocide unfold in real-time through social media posts from Palestinians. I have seen acts of brutality that nobody should ever experience nor witness. At the same time, I have seen young people risk their futures on college campuses to show solidarity with Palestinians.
Author’s Note to Rochester Christian University staff
Much to my disappointment, the silence of Rochester Christian University’s administration has compromised my faith in RCU’s religious teachings. I believe that RCU’s ministry department and Intercultural & Spiritual Life staff in particular have the resources to educate RCU students on the plight of Palestinians, yet they don’t.
I found this year’s “good news” chapel ministry theme to be in poor taste. How can RCU’s ministry expect me to think of good news amidst an ongoing genocide in the holy land? RCU’s designation as a Christian institution makes the silence more noticeable. I came to RCU with a negative attitude toward Christianity until I learned of Jesus’ compassion.
So why are we silent? What happened to the lessons concerning the Holocaust? Thanks to the internet, nobody can claim ignorance.
I thought never again meant never again.
We can do much good through charities and advocating for a one-state solution, aka one government, where all people are treated equally. A state that prioritizes the privileges of one group at the expense of another endangers everybody since it breeds violence.
To start, the RCU spiritual leaders and Intercultural & Spiritual Life staff must step up. Instead of organizing a chapel to discuss the Bible in personal abstracts, why not inspire students to advocate for tangible change—starting with the cause of liberating the Palestinians? After all, our student handbook indicates that RCU’s foundation stems from an “emphasis on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.”
We should be organizing chapel around fundraising, protests and letter-writing campaigns to the American government regarding sending tax dollars to Israel. Every resource should be exhausted. As students attending a Christian institution, we look up to RCU staff for guidance—not just academic or professional guidance but also spiritual and moral guidance. This is another reason why the silence on the ongoing genocide against Palestinians is unacceptable.
The Palestinian Genocide is regarded as the first live-streamed genocide, making claims of ignorance impossible. So please, RCU staff, help galvanize the RCU community to join the cause of Palestine liberation.
Click here if you want to participate in tangible change and learn more.