The first 24 hours of the US’ and Israel’s bloody Operation Gideon’s Chariots campaign of bombings and assault on Gaza instantly killed 144 Palestinians. In the following days, Israeli forces launched successive attacks on evacuation centers, as well as the remaining hospitals and schools, to drive Palestinians toward the prisons prepared for them. Hundreds of those killed were children.

Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which began on May 18, is the planned death blow by Israel and the US in the ongoing 18-month genocide and 77-year brutal occupation of Palestinian territories. Its aim is to directly occupy the entire Gaza Strip and imprison around 1.5 million Palestinians in “evacuation centers” in the southern part of the enclave.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombings and assaults have directly killed 63,000 Palestinians and wounded 118,300. Nearly half of the victims are children and women. An estimated hundreds of thousands more have died from hunger, disease, and lack of medical facilities. Many have been buried under collapsed buildings and homes, never found or recovered because of Israel’s relentless attacks.

Weaponizing and commodifying food and aid

Famine in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels, especially since March, when Israel absolutely banned the entry of all types of aid. In May, Israel handed over responsibility for food distribution to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private company jointly established by the US and Israel to “defeat” Hamas.

The United Nations strongly criticized Israel’s use of the GHF, saying it contradicts the required neutrality, impartiality, and independence of humanitarian work. The UN, together with many countries and international institutions, condemned Israel and the US for weaponizing aid and food against civilians.

In addition to the GHF, Israel also brought in other American private companies to act as “security forces” at its distribution centers. These include Safe Reach Solutions, UG Solutions, and S.R.S. Security Firm, all owned by former US Army and Central Intelligence Agency generals. The highest Israeli officials, in partnership with the US, selected these companies bypassing their respective parliaments and congresses.

Ongoing global protests

Millions of people worldwide took to the streets in protest against the renewed wave of genocide in Gaza. They called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Zionist Israel’s brutal attacks and bombings. The protests coincided with the commemoration of the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, or The Catastrophe, the first time Zionists violently expelled Palestinians from their land to establish the Israeli state.

Hundreds of actions were held in cities across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa, and even within the US. Many young students in the US bravely launched protests and discussions at universities despite intense pressure.

In the Philippines, the Moro-Christian Peoples Alliance (MCPA) joined the global call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

MCPA secretary general Amirah Lidasan said “since breaking the ceasefire, Zionist Israel and its number one funder have shown no mercy to our Palestinian brothers and sisters.”

She calls on the international community to continue urging their leaders to take action against Israel’s unceasing attacks. “The liberation of one is the liberation of all, especially now amid severe human rights violations. We must not stop until Palestine is free,” she said.

On May 23, the group held a forum and staged a march at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. This coincided with the 8th anniversary of Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao and the destruction of Marawi City, the country’s only Islamic city, in 2017.