Echoes of a holocaust

M A Hossain,

The term “Holocaust” holds immense moral gravity. It should never be used lightly—yet failing to recognize its echoes in the present can be just as dangerous. Since October 2023, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has resulted in the death of over 60,000 Palestinians, with more than 121,000 injured. Entire neighborhoods—homes, hospitals, schools, bakeries—lie in ruins. Starvation is widespread, with the UN warning of famine and children already dying of hunger.

This devastation is not collateral damage. It stems from deliberate policy. Israeli officials have justified limiting aid to Gaza as leverage, turning food, water and medicine into tools of war. This is not a conventional conflict—it is collective punishment, in violation of international norms. Still, many resist comparisons to the Holocaust. They point to the absence of gas chambers. But genocide doesn’t start there. It begins with dehumanization, siege, starvation and moral indifference—patterns all too familiar in Gaza.

Whether this is legally classified as genocide remains to be seen. But it certainly resembles its early stages: when people are framed as an inherent threat, when mass deaths are dismissed as unfortunate but necessary. October 7 was horrific. The killing of 1,200 Israelis and civilian abductions by Hamas were acts of terror. Israel has a right to self-defense—but not without legal and moral limits. Those limits are breached when defense turns into retribution, when entire populations are punished.

Gaza today is experiencing humanitarian collapse. But Israel does not bear this burden alone. The United States, while offering aid, continues to arm Israel, veto UN resolutions and shield it diplomatically. This is not neutrality—it is complicity. European responses have been muted, marked by statements without action. These same governments honor Holocaust Remembrance Day every year, yet hesitate to act on its lessons. The Arab world, too, has failed. Egypt restricts aid at its border. Gulf nations contribute money but little political will. When student protesters in the West show more courage than Arab leaders, something is deeply wrong.

Invoking the Holocaust in this context is not about diminishing Jewish suffering—it is about affirming the moral imperative of “Never Again” for all. If the deliberate killing of civilians through siege, bombs and deprivation does not trigger outrage, then what do we mean by “atrocity” or “human rights”? Genocide today doesn’t require gas chambers. Drones, blockades and bureaucratic apathy suffice.

The ICJ has ordered Israel to allow aid; human rights groups are documenting abuses; global protests are growing. Yet this remains inadequate. What’s needed is political resolve: arms embargoes, accountability and consistent moral standards. This isn’t about sides—it’s about principles. Either human rights are universal, or they are meaningless.

The Holocaust began not with camps, but with silence. That silence echoes again. Gaza is burning—and this may be the last moment to show we’ve learned from history.

This article published at :

1. Pakistan Observer, Pak : 24 May, 25