Gaza tragedy and a mockery of a ceasefire

Day after day, it becomes clear that the announcement of the Sharm El-Sheikh summit in October 2025 "to stop the war" was not intended to save civilians in Gaza Strip, but was instead a new episode in a series of political games played at the expense of the Palestinians' humanitarian tragedy. The Trump administration did not seek to save the people of Gaza from genocide; it wanted to ensure that Israel was saved from international isolation and to rebuild its regional and global image after its racist crimes were exposed. The announcement of a "ceasefire" was more like a political cover to shield the Tel Aviv government than a genuine attempt to protect civilians in Gaza. Since the announcement, neither the raids nor the killing of innocents have stopped. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has recorded the deaths of at least 312 people, most of them children, in addition to thousands wounded, while the entire strip remains under direct fire.

Thousands of wounded people are still prevented from travelling for treatment outside Gaza. Partially functioning hospitals can barely cope with the huge and growing numbers of critical cases, including life-altering injuries and the deaths of patients who have been denied even the most basic medicines. About 25 percent of the injured now face permanent disabilities due to a lack of medical equipment and the inability to treat complex injuries.

While international media attention is focused on a limited number of recovered Israeli bodies, the fate of the Palestinians is being ignored. Some Palestinian bodies have been returned bearing signs of torture; others have been robbed; and the bodies of many who have been missing for decades are still held in secret graves or occupation refrigerators. At the same time, reports of torture prisons continue to emerge, going beyond even the horrors already exposed in Sde Teiman prison, where systematic violations have been committed against Palestinian detainees, including rape.

With the onset of winter, the suffering of the people is worsening. Camps for displaced families have been flooded with rainwater, and tents have become inundated and largely uninhabitable. The severe cold, combined with these dire conditions, has claimed the lives of children, the sick, and the elderly. Thousands of families now live without any form of protection, amid the continuation of the siege and the frequent obstruction of humanitarian aid.

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Truth is defeating Israel’s monopoly over the victim narrative

Despite the tight siege, media and diplomatic reports have revealed systematic displacement through the so-called Ramon Airport, facilitated by fake and intelligence-linked companies. Dozens of Palestinians have suddenly arrived in South Africa, and there are reports of other shadowy agencies connected to Estonia flying Palestinians out. These "mystery flights" indicate Israel's intention to continue silent ethnic cleansing, which explains its insistence on maintaining the siege and denying Gaza even the most basic elements of life.

In this context, I have issued several statements to various Bangladeshi media outlets about the seriousness of this displacement through Ramon Airport, warning against exploiting the close relations and fraternal sympathy that bind the people of Bangladesh to Palestine. The most recent of these warnings came during my press conference regarding female students from Gaza, held on August 14, 2025.

In the West Bank, settler terrorism against the people in Palestinian villages and towns continues. Settlers, backed by the official support of the Israeli government and army, carry out frequent attacks on civilians, burn homes, and gradually displace residents, while Israeli security services cooperate with them, entrenching a policy of slow demographic cleansing.

Washington has pushed a draft resolution through the United Nations Security Council, calling it a "Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict," but in reality it only aims to satisfy Israel by deploying international forces to complete what the occupation has failed to achieve. It is not designed to protect civilians from continuous crimes. The resolution also entrenches the division of Gaza into a besieged and destroyed west and east, where reconstruction is conditional and politically manipulated. Moreover, it further cements the separation of Gaza from the West Bank and Jerusalem, undermining the Palestinian national entity, deepening political division, and further fragmenting Palestinian representation.

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Bangladeshi youth's solidarity with Palestine will be remembered

Here we must emphasise the essential role played by Saudi Arabia and France as sponsors of the conference on implementing the two-state solution, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in September 2025 and supported by the majority of the world's countries—with the exception of the United States and Israel. What offers Palestinians a degree of reassurance is the Kingdom's firm stance on the two-state solution. During a joint press conference with President Trump two days ago, the Saudi crown prince reaffirmed his country's firm stance on the matter. Though hope is an existential necessity for the present and the future, caution is also essential until Palestine and its people achieve real freedom and independence.

Yousef SY Ramadan is the ambassador of Palestine to Bangladesh.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

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