Palestinian Envoy Calls Gaza a “Live-Streamed Genocide”

New Delhi: Ambassador of  Palestine to India Abdullah Abu Shawesh on Monday described the war in Gaza as a “live-streamed genocide”, but asserted that Palestinians will rise from the ashes again.

The Ambassador’s observations came in an interaction hosted by the Indian Muslims for Civil Rights (IMCR) in here.

The IMCR said in a press release here that Ambassador Shawesh began his speech by responding to the oft-repeated phrase, “Nothing justifies October 7.” He said Palestinians could agree with this statement only if the world also accepted that “October 7 does not justify two full years of continuous, live-streamed genocide.”

Highlighting the situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the envoy said atrocities continue daily beyond the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. He described how the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been desecrated “every single day” by extremist settlers and Israeli officials. The West Bank, he noted, has been divided by more than 500 military checkpoints and 1,000 gates that suffocate Palestinian life and mobility. He dismissed the notion that settlers are civilians, calling them “militarised terrorists” responsible for destroying over 500 homes and displacing thousands of families.

The envoy cited horrific reports from Gaza, including surgeries and amputations performed without anaesthesia because of severe medical shortages caused by the blockade. Quoting figures, he said the toll had reached 67,000 killed. There were 40,000 orphaned children, 17,000 widowed women and 170,000 injured, with tens of thousands suffering permanent disabilities.

He, however, expressed full confidence in his people’s capacity and will to fight back. “We rose from the ashes in 1948, and we will rise again.” He said Palestinians, despite immense suffering, continue to live, create and hope, believing that justice backed by global solidarity will ultimately prevail.

Speaking personally, Abu Shawesh revealed that his own family remains trapped in Gaza. “There is no point asking people whether they have lost relatives,” he said. “The real question is how many.” He accused Israel of conducting genocide with full Western complicity, naming the United States for supplying over 30 billion dollars in military and financial aid to Israel during the last two years.

Placing the conflict in historical perspective, the ambassador said it did not begin in 2023 but in 1917 with Britain’s Balfour Declaration, which paved the way for dispossession and occupation. He urged global journalists to reclaim their moral duty by asking the deeper questions “Why, What, Who and Where” instead of limiting their coverage to death counts.

Abu Shawesh criticised what he called international double standards, pointing out that while 30,000 sanctions were imposed on Russia, none had been placed on Israel despite its actions in Gaza. Drawing a comparison with India’s colonial experience, he recalled the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, saying it reflected how oppressors often receive praise instead of punishment.

Reaffirming that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) remains the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, the ambassador rejected attempts to reduce the conflict to a war between Israel and Hamas.

He praised India’s long-standing support for Palestine, recalling Mahatma Gandhi’s opposition to partition and India’s recognition of both the PLO and the State of Palestine. Calling India a “big brother,” he urged its civil society, media and NGOs to help in rebuilding Gaza, particularly for widows and orphans.

The event was attended by several eminent personalities, including former Chief Justice of the Patna High CourtJustice Iqbal Ansari, Mohammad Adeeb, Chairman of IMCR, Fuzail Ahmed Ayubi, Senior Lawyer at the Supreme Court of India, Yasser Dahlan from the Embassy of the State of Palestine, Daya Singh, President of the All India Peace Mission and a large number of journalists, academics and peace activists.

—India News Stream