Genocide... Siege... Winter: A Triangle of Death is Tightening Its Grip on the People of Gaza
(Translated)
By Ustadh Khaled Saeed*

It is said that calamities occur suddenly, all at once. Indeed, the people of Gaza face the compounded disaster of war and genocide perpetrated by the criminal Jewish entity, coupled with famine and disease, resulting from the siege, and the prevention of food and medicine supplies. With the onset of winter, bringing storms, rain, cold, and frost, the triangle of death is complete.

This is especially dire, given that winter comes amidst a destroyed infrastructure, and displacement camps, lacking even the most basic necessities of life. These camps are poorly organized and inadequately equipped to provide shelter or meet people’s needs. The tents that house displaced people have become worn out and unfit for shelter after fifteen months, with many families often forced to move their tents repeatedly due to ongoing killings, crimes, and threats of evacuation by the occupying forces. These tents no longer protect their residents from the biting cold, let alone prevent them from being drenched by heavy rains.

What intensifies the tragedy of Gaza’s residents is that the death toll is not driven solely by the genocide committed by the Jewish army, but also by the calamities of hunger and winter. According to official statistics announced in Gaza, 110,000 tents have become torn and uninhabitable, with many blown away by the fierce winds that swept through Gaza in recent days, leaving their residents homeless. Heartbreaking scenes have been widely shared on social media platforms, showing flooded tents in various parts of the Gaza Strip. The civil defense authority has declared its inability to provide alternative shelters for those affected, forcing some to sleep out in the open. The freezing temperatures and severe cold over the past week claimed the lives of seven people, including six children. Among them were the twins Ali and Jumaa al-Batran, who were just one month old, according to an announcement by the Government Information Office in Gaza on Monday, December 30, 2024. Furthermore, 44 individuals have died due to malnutrition and famine, which is particularly devastating in the northern areas of the Strip. Additionally, 3,500 children are at risk of death due to malnutrition and lack of food.

This is in addition to thousands of pregnant women at risk due to a lack of essential medical care, hundreds of thousands of elderly people and those with chronic illnesses, tens of thousands of wounded individuals, and cancer patients, who need treatment abroad due to the lack of local resources. Add to this the spread of infectious diseases, and the unavailability of essential medicines, due to the closure of border crossings, and the prevention of their entry by the Jewish entity. What worsens the tragedy is the deliberate targeting by the criminal occupation forces of hospitals, healthcare centers, and health care workers, turning the scene into an even graver humanitarian catastrophe.

This is but one aspect of the immense suffering and humanitarian disaster suffered by the people of Gaza, whose reality surpasses all imagination and defies description. Yet amidst the catastrophe and tragedy, the people of Gaza accept the trial with hearts full of Iman and submission to the Will of Allah (swt), Most Merciful. They hope for relief from Allah, trusting in His Words,

[وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ]

“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.” [TMQ Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 155].

Meanwhile, a burning question remains on the lips of every child, every mother, every widow of a martyr, and every young and old person in Gaza, “Where are the people of our Islamic Ummah? Are we not their brothers and sisters in Iman? How long will they remain motionless regarding our killing, while seeing and hearing of our plight? Or do they have eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear, and minds that do not comprehend? Have they grown so attached to this worldly life, and has Allah (swt) cast weakness (wahan) and love for this transient world into their hearts, along with disdain for the eternal Hereafter?”

O Muslims, just as calamities come swiftly one after another, so too, by Allah’s will, does goodness and relief. You are capable of transforming the state of this Blessed Land into the best of conditions, if you reclaim your will and place Allah’s Commands at the top of your priorities. We are of you, and you are of us. Are we not brothers and sisters as per Allah’s words,

[إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ]“The believers are but brothers.” [TMQ Surah Al-Hujurat:10]? Do we not have a right upon you, as expressed in the words of the Prophet (saw),

«مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ مَثَلُ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى»

“The example of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body; when any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.” Is it not your duty toward us, as Allah (swt) states,

[وَإِنِ اسْتَنْصَرُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ فَعَلَيْكُمُ النَّصْرُ] “And if they seek help of you for the religion, then you must help.” [TMQ Surah Al-Anfal 8:72]? How can you live comfortably, while death overcomes us from every direction? How can you cover yourselves in warmth, while our children die from the cold? How can you enjoy your food while even the crust of bread for our children, costs us our very souls?

Relieving the distressed, and supporting the oppressed, are Shariah obligations, and they are among the noble qualities of Islam. May Allah be pleased with the Mother of the Believers, Khadijah, when the Messenger of Allah (saw) came to her the night Jibreel came to him. She comforted him with her words, لن يضيعك الله فأنت تقري الضيف وتغيث الملهوف وتنصر المظلوم “Allah will never disgrace you, for you uphold the ties of kinship, bear the burden of others, help the destitute, serve your guests generously, and assist those afflicted by calamity.” When Allah (swt) established the Deen, granted Nasr to His Prophet ﷺ, and granted the believers a state that unified and sheltered them, our goodness reached every person, regardless of their religion, race, or ethnicity. So why is it that today we neither support one another nor show mercy among ourselves? May Allah have mercy on Umar Al-Farooq. During a famine, he sent a message to Amr ibn Al-As, his governor in Egypt, saying, أأجوع أنا ومن معي وتشبع أنت ومن معك؟! وا غوثاه وا غوثاه “Shall I and those with me starve while you and those with you are full? Woe to the oppressed! Woe to the oppressed!” In response, Amr sent a caravan, the front of which was in Medina, while its end was still in Egypt, providing relief to the Muslims in Madinah.

It is true that the circumstances are tragic, the suffering is immense, and the humanitarian situation is catastrophic. Yet, you, O Muslims, have the capability to end this injustice and alleviate this suffering. At the same time, we recognize that imposing such dire humanitarian conditions is part of a deception, meant to distract people from the core issue, the root cause of the problem, and its ultimate solution, the existence of this criminal Jewish entity on the land of Palestine.

Such imposed realities make people more susceptible to accepting compromising solutions, and surrender under the pretense of alleviating hardship and halting the killing and oppression, with the justification that ‘this is the best that can be achieved.’ This is not a Dawah to perpetuate the killing or prolong the suffering of the people. Instead, it is a Dawah to address the root cause of the illness and seek a complete cure. Otherwise, all efforts of aid and relief for the people of Palestine will remain mere painkillers. The Islamic Ummah must move toward a fundamental solution, assume its Shariah responsibility toward Palestine and its people, and work to remove this criminal Jewish entity and liberate the Blessed Land of Palestine from its oppression and crimes. If you fail to do so, there will be tribulation in the land and great corruption. Allah (swt) will hold you accountable for not supporting your brothers and sisters and the first Qiblah of Islam. Prepare your answers for the question and ensure they are truthful, for your protests will not avail you, unless you march to the palaces and military barracks, refusing to leave the squares until the rulers respond and the armies mobilize. Nor will your aid convoys benefit you, unless the convoys consist of tank brigades, fighter squadrons, and warships.

The people of Gaza are hungry, but liberation satisfies them more. The people of Gaza are unclothed, but the garments of dignity are the finest covering. The people of Gaza have nothing to shield them from the cold and frost that has killed them, but having a leader atop an army to liberate Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa is better for them than all the riches of this world.

* Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in the Blessed Land – Palestine