Opinion: Darkness before the dawn in Palestine

The unspeakable horrors in Gaza - the ongoing bombings, the devastating famine, the mass graves being uncovered, and the complete destruction of all infrastructure - are unparalleled in the history of apartheid Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.

The rationale behind the genocide is clear when looking beyond the devastated enclave of Gaza. Israel’s policies across historic Palestine continue to be aimed at one goal: emptying the land of its indigenous Palestinian population.

Across the occupied West Bank, over the last weeks, Israeli settler militias and military forces have carried out attacks in 120 villages and wreaked large-scale destruction in most refugee camps, killing, maiming, and arresting thousands.

Since 7 October, 806 buildings in the West Bank have been demolished, displacing 1,758 people and affecting almost 519,000 Palestinians. Around 25 Palestinian communities have been ethnically cleansed, 492 Palestinians killed and 8,088 illegally detained.

READ MORE: Darkness before the dawn in Palestine, opinion by Jamal Juma