In a heartfelt address at the Navi Pillay Research Group's Symposium, hosted by the UKZN School of Law on Tuesday, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, the head of the South African-based international aid organisation Gift of the Givers, shared the harrowing reality faced by the people and infrastructure in Gaza.
His address to the symposium painted a vivid picture of the catastrophic situation following Israeli strikes on the population of Gaza.
Sooliman detailed the extensive damage caused to crucial facilities in Gaza, including those built by Gift of the Givers over the years.
"The kindergarten for the kids have been bombed. The childcare centre in Gaza has been bombed. And one of the three desalination plants has been bombed," he said.
This destruction, he said, signifies a severe impact on the lives of the Gazan people, particularly affecting the vulnerable groups like children.
Sooliman shared a personal tragedy, revealing the loss of his head of office, a pharmacist, and his brother, a doctor, both of whom were killed by Israeli forces.
"They were struck directly by Israeli forces on the morning of 16 November, coming out from morning prayer," he recounted, highlighting the brutality of the conflict.
In a particularly moving part of his address to the attendees, Sooliman spoke about a team member who had lost 50 family members in Gaza.
"Israel directly targeted one of the apartments, and 50 members were lost. On the fourth of December, I brought her to Cape Town, and she addressed 100 journalists on the situation of a family and what happened to them," he said.
Just days later, her stepfather was killed by sniper’s bullets.
The situation in Gaza, as described by Sooliman, is dire, with healthcare and other essential services heavily compromised.
"Gaza is a wasteland," he lamented, pointing out the urgent need for a wide range of medical professionals and support staff.
He said the institutional knowledge in Gaza has been severely depleted due to targeted attacks on healthcare workers - many of whom have been killed by the Israeli military.
Highlighting his organisation's efforts, Sooliman explained how Gift of the Givers has been involved in providing aid in Palestine since 2002.
Their work includes delivering medical teams, equipment, and supplies to the region, particularly during times of heightened conflict.
Recently, getting aid into Gaza had been particularly difficult due to red tape by the Israeli government.
For example, Sooliman said it took one aid truck 30 days to travel 13 km to its final destination in Gaza.
In a sombre reflection on the reality of the situation, Sooliman revealed that in the wake of devastation in Gaza, they had to prepare for the further loss of team members.
"We are in the business of saving lives. So I told my guys to expand the team, get more networks, get into more areas, because we are going to lose (at least) 10 members," he said.
The team smiled when he gave them the grim instruction, with their response being, “don’t you think we know where we live? We have already done this”.
Sooliman said Gift of the Givers was now exploring legal avenues for holding Israeli authorities accountable for their actions and charging people like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes.
"Can we charge Netanyahu and Israel and claim for reparations? They got to rebuild everything that was destroyed and to compensate every person they killed.
“For psychological emotional trauma to every person suffered in Gaza. We need to charge them for that. I don't know how the rules work, but we are ready and we will be the first to charge them,” he said.
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