The Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association (PPFA) condemned the Zionist Israel parliament for recently approving direct military occupation of Gaza. The group described this as “a new stage of genocide against Palestinians and an escalation of apartheid supported by the US.”

“This decision by the Netanyahu regime marks not just an escalation, but a calculated campaign of annihilation against the Palestinian people,” PPFA secretary general Alan Sarte said. Netanyahu no longer has any interest in rescuing the remaining Israelis Hamas still holds, and he is merely using this as an excuse to fully occupy all of Gaza, he said.

The Israel parliament voted for military action amid intensifying outrage from Israelis themselves over Netanyahu’s failure to recover the remaining individuals in Hamas custody. Condemnation of the regime’s genocide and brutal treatment of Palestinians is also spreading within their country. Large protests continue in Israel against Netanyahu, and some young Israelis now oppose military drafting as a protest against the ongoing genocide.

The PPFA is appalled that the Zionist regime claims the direct occupation aims to deliver aid to the Palestinian civilian population. Since March, Israel imposed an absolute ban on delivering and distributing aid, except for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is jointly operated by US and Israeli military forces. At least 859 Palestinians have died while queueing at GHF distribution sites, which the UN and other international institutions have called “human slaughterhouses.”

The PPFA strongly condemns the grotesque hypocrisy and cruelty of US-Israel’s “humanitarian aid expansion” plan. This supposed increase in aid, while denying its distribution in Gaza, aims to force Palestinians to leave Gaza by starving them and denying them basic food.

“It is collective punishment, weaponized hunger, and a clear war crime,” the group said.

From October 2023 to August this year, Palestinian deaths due to malnutrition have reached 210, most of the cases just in recent weeks. In July alone, 74 died of malnutrition, many of them severely wasted, including children under five years old.

Currently, almost 90% of Gaza is already under Israeli military control. To complete the occupation, Israel plans to expel all remaining Palestinians from Gaza City, the largest city in the enclave. Since October 2023, more than 60,000 have been directly killed by Israeli bombings and attacks, while 150,000 have been wounded.

For the PPFA, its members remain firm in their solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for liberation and justice.

“We call on the international community to reject this violent occupation, demand an immediate end to US-Israel’s assaults and genocide, and hold the Netanyahu regime accountable for its crimes against humanity,” the PPFA said.