GAZA is at a flashpoint – a moment of reckoning when history convulses for the Palestinian people, yet equally charged with the potential to transform, to dismantle a genocidal settler state that wages an incessant campaign of racist violence and destruction. Nothing perhaps underlines this moment more than the unprecedented twenty-three minutes of standing ovation for the film Voice of Hind Rajab after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s re-enactment tells the story of six-year-old Hind Rajab, killed along with her cousins, aunt, uncle, and two paramedics who had come to their aid after their car was fired on by Israeli forces in Gaza City in January 2024. The emotional docudrama draws on recordings from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, which tried for hours to reassure Hind as she lay trapped in the car beside the bodies of her family members. In the original recordings from January 29, 2024, Hind is heard sobbing and pleading with rescuers: “Please come to me, please come. I’m scared”, while gunfire crackled in the background. Before an ambulance could reach her, it too was destroyed by relentless Israeli tank fire at point-blank range. Hind’s family car had been shot with more than 300 bullets, and the ambulance was only recovered two weeks later.
Actress Saja Kilani, part of the film’s team, told journalists: “Enough of the mass killing, the starvation, the dehumanisation, the destruction, and the ongoing occupation.” She added: “This film is not an opinion or a fantasy. It is anchored in truth. Hind’s story carries the weight of an entire people. Her voice is one among tens of thousands of children killed in Gaza in the last two years alone. It is the voice of every daughter and every son with the right to live, to dream, to exist in dignity. Yet all of it was stolen in front of our unblinking eyes.”
Notably, mainstream Hollywood figures were associated with the film, and reviews reflected a shifting tide of compassion and public perception. Critics were unflinching in their praise. The Guardian observed: “Reckless, ruthless… a provocative brilliance. No doubt about which movie has set Venice ablaze—it is this.” Vogue called it “A humanist marvel, deserving of the festival’s highest accolade.” That the film ultimately earned the Silver Lion is perhaps the smallest part of its record.
This moment was waiting to happen. Another sign of change in the air over Gaza is the largest effort yet to break the blockade: the Sumud Flotilla. This is the fourth attempt this year to challenge the maritime siege of Gaza. Fifty ships carrying activists from 44 countries have set sail from Barcelona, Tunis, Malaysia, Genoa, Catania, and Syros, bringing food, water, and medicines, with their arrival expected in mid-September. It is an expression of ever-growing solidarity. Significantly, port workers’ unions have warned that they will halt maritime activity across Europe if the Flotilla is blocked.
Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia, captured the essence of this solidarity in his message to the Flotilla: “If Palestine dies, all of humanity dies with it. What you are undertaking is not just a maritime journey; it is an ethical cry. May the wind carry your boats with the force of history, may the sea open its arms, and may the world hear your message. And when you reach the waters near Gaza, you will feel that travelling beside you is the voice of millions who believe that peace is not a utopia, but an obligation.”
Such passion and solidarity did not arise abruptly. Over 63,000 people have been killed, including at least 332 who died from malnutrition – 124 of them children. More than 240 journalists have been killed. How many deaths will it take before we acknowledge that too many lives have been lost? When, truly, does “never again” begin?
Over the last two years, since the Zionist state’s catastrophic campaign began – aimed at virtually erasing Palestinian territories from the map – people across the world have taken to the streets in their hundreds of thousands, if not millions, as the genocide is livestreamed into their homes. Particularly damning are the images of Israel’s policy of starving Palestinians by blocking humanitarian aid, bombing hospitals, and even shooting at civilians queued for food distribution.
These developments, combined with a growing global campaign against the settler-colonial government in Tel Aviv, are now shaping the responses of governments that once sided with Israel. With no accountability in sight, Netanyahu’s government faces increasing diplomatic isolation, eroding what remains of its credibility. Palestine and Gaza have become mainstream issues not only in Europe but also within the United States itself.
This is why September has become such a crucial turning point. Under the rules of the United Nations, the Uniting for Peace mechanism authorises the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to act when the Security Council is blocked by the veto of a permanent member. Through this mechanism, the UNGA could mandate the deployment of a UN protection force to Palestine – to safeguard civilians, ensure humanitarian aid, preserve evidence of war crimes, and support recovery and reconstruction.
The upcoming deadline set by the UN General Assembly last year for Israeli compliance with the orders and findings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – with a promise of “further measures” in the event of non-compliance – marks a critical moment for action. Indeed, the time for intervention is long overdue. In this context, Belgium has announced it will recognise a Palestinian state at the UNGA this month, alongside France, Britain, Canada, and Australia. Belgium also plans to impose twelve sanctions on Israel, including a ban on all products from illegal settlements in the West Bank and a review of public procurement policies involving Israeli companies.
To stop genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes perpetrated by the Israeli regime – under the Geneva Conventions, the Genocide Convention, and other sources of international law – states are legally obliged to act. The State of Palestine has formally invited intervention, and Palestinian civil society has issued repeated appeals. The ICJ has already ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967 and the establishment of settlements are illegal, and it found a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza. Together, these rulings make international intervention not only legitimate but a compelling necessity.
Given the unprecedented importance of this month’s UNGA session, the decision of the Trump administration to deny the Palestinian government permission to attend appears both stark and desperate. With the waning influence of the US empire increasingly evident – especially in light of recent BRICS and SCO summits – such manoeuvres will only further undermine the credibility of both Israel and the United States. Their self-proclaimed role as “champions of democracy” risks becoming a global punchline.
Meanwhile, far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich – who already faces sanctions and condemnation from several Western governments and the European Union for his hardline statements – is in India to sign a bilateral agreement. Smotrich recently revived the controversial E1 settlement project in the West Bank, which critics warn would permanently extinguish the possibility of a Palestinian state. Earlier this month, he announced that maps were being drawn to annex up to 82 per cent of the West Bank, leaving only a scattering of Palestinian population centers. He even suggested that starving Gaza’s population might be justified to secure hostage releases – remarks France, Germany, the UK, and the EU condemned as “appalling.”
Despite India’s endorsement of the Tianjin resolution on Palestine, welcoming Smotrich in this context runs counter to global public opinion. The people of India can and must redouble their efforts to demand an end to military and security ties with Israel, and to stand firmly in solidarity with the Palestinian people facing genocide. It is time to assert – never, ever again.
(September 9, 2025)
