{"id":273285,"date":"2024-09-09T12:01:41","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T11:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=273285"},"modified":"2024-09-08T06:50:32","modified_gmt":"2024-09-08T05:50:32","slug":"israel-wanted-disease-and-genocide-in-gaza-so-why-is-it-agreeing-to-the-polio-vaccine-being-given","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2024\/09\/israel-wanted-disease-and-genocide-in-gaza-so-why-is-it-agreeing-to-the-polio-vaccine-being-given\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel Wanted Disease and Genocide in Gaza, So Why Is It Agreeing to the Polio Vaccine Being Given?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A good tiny step, a public relations ploy given the UN’s failure to stop the carnage \u2014 or something even more sinister: “Is Israel engaging in biological warfare against the Palestinians?” <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

1 Sep 2024 <\/em>– In October 2023, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared<\/a>: \u201cNo electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.’\u201d<\/p>\n

In November 2023, Middle East Eye reported in \u201cFormer Israel general says ‘severe epidemics’ in Gaza would help Israel win the war<\/a>\u201d:<\/p>\n

\u201cA retired senior Israeli general has said<\/a> that Israel should not \u2018shy away\u2019 from permitting the outbreak of severe epidemics amongst Palestinians in southern Gaza as it will bring Israel \u2018closer to victory.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018The international community warns us of a humanitarian disaster in Gaza and of severe epidemics,\u2019 retired Major General Giora Eiland, the former head of Israel\u2019s National Security Council, wrote Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018We must not shy away from this, as difficult as that may be. After all, severe epidemics in the south of the Gaza Strip will bring victory closer and reduce casualties among IDF soldiers.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cEiland went on to say that the Israeli government must take a \u2018harder line\u2019 against the US and rule out discussions about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza until all the hostages held in the besieged enclave are released.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe opinion article elicited an endorsement from far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said<\/a>, \u2018I agree with every word.\u2019\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Zeiad\u00a0Abbas\u00a0Shamrouch, executive director of the\u00a0Middle East Children\u2019s Alliance<\/a>, told me in November<\/a>: \u201cDue to Israel cutting off some of the supply of water and destroying key water infrastructure and storage tanks, people are being forced to drink water from unsafe sources. Dehydration and waterborne diseases are spreading and medicine is running out. There are outbreaks of chickenpox, scabies and diarrhea due to the shortage of water.\u201d<\/p>\n

The BBC reported in May that \u201cHalf of Gaza water sites damaged or destroyed, BBC satellite data reveals<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drop Site News reported in July in \u201cThe IDF Just Destroyed a Key Rafah Water Facility Rachel Corrie Spent Her Last Month of Life Defending<\/a>\u201d about a video showing the \u201ccalculated demolition of a chief water facility in Rafah. The video, in three parts, shows Israeli soldiers planting explosives inside and around the water pumps of a facility in the occupied city. The video \u2014 which is captioned in Hebrew, \u2018Destruction of the Tal Sultan water reservoir in honor of Shabbat\u2019 \u2014 ends with footage of the water facility being blown up. The soundtrack is a song produced by soldiers of the 51st Golani Brigade with lyrics like, \u2018We will burn Gaza\u2026 shake all of Gaza\u2026 for every house you destroy we will destroy ten.\u2019 \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cFor months, Israeli forces have been targeting vital water resources in the strip leading to starvation and, according to new reports, worsening access to clean water. Last week, the Israeli military and the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that Poliovirus has been found in Gaza\u2019s sewage, further intensifying the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the occupied enclave.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Daily Mail<\/em> in August reported<\/a> on Israelis who had been held captive in Gaza: \u201cBlood tests also showed they had been exposed to a range of diseases, including typhus and spotted fever, during their 50 days in captivity. Many of them were also experiencing head lice due to poor hygiene conditions, including a lack of running water.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Vaccine<\/strong><\/h1>\n

So, why is Israel reportedly agreeing to pauses<\/a> to allow for administration of the polio vaccine? That may be hard to know for sure, but a few things that should be understood:<\/p>\n