Above 40, 000 confirmed casualties in Gaza, there is a possibility that other 186000 – 240000 have been killed indirectly, going by lower limits of known ratios of direct and indirect deaths in wars. This range suggests that 8-10% of Gaza’s prewar population of 2.3 million has been killed as the world watched. The European Union (EU) is a partner in these deaths, as it has declined to sanction Israel, supplied weapons, facilitated transit of US weapons, and invested in developing war technologies used currently in Gaza.
40,000 directly and, at least 3 times indirectly killed Gazans
International bodies (UN, UNICEF, ICJ, and ICC) have decried Israel’s action in Gaza and called for action against the Jewish state, which makes EU’s failure to act indefensible. Besides Gaza’s official death toll of 40, 000, the real fatalities could be higher, while considering unretrieved bodies and indirect deaths (those killed by conditions of war) which can be three to 15 times higher than direct deaths. On 19th June 2024, Lancet study reported that Israel had directly killed 37 396 since October 7th, 2023, and estimated that indirect deaths could be over 186,000, taking the lower limit of 4 indirect deaths to every direct one. Using Lancets estimates seen earlier, about 8% of Gaza’s prewar population has been killed, a percentage that is close to what can be arrived at using the daily rate of 250 directly killed, expressed by Oxfam for the first three months of the war, which made Gaza war the deadliest conflict in the 21st century. Gaza’s official death toll is underreported due to authority’s increasing inability to access most areas and retrieve bodies. For instance, over 300 bodies were found on July, 30th, 2024, when IDF withdrew from Khan Yunis after only a week of operation. Therefore, more bodies remain under the ruins or in mass graves in areas where IDF operates, as can be interpreted in Mass grave found in Gaza Hospital in April 23rd,, 2024. Assuming 250 average direct deaths daily, the death toll by July 31st would be 80, 000, and 3 times indirect deaths would reach 240,000. Therefore, about 10% of Gaza’s population may have already been killed by Israel, with EU facilitation in 8 months, and over two million are displaced, face starvation, and health crisis. However, the EU has not sanctioned Israel or blocked transit of US military equipment, but continue to provide weapons and investments to Israel.
The EU has ignored signals from international bodies, mentioned earlier to continue aiding Israel. On 31st October 2023, UNICEF spokesperson declared in Geneva, Switzerland that Gaza had become a graveyard for children as 3, 450 children had been killed. While Switzerland, is not an EU member, it is at the center of Europe, and Geneva prides itself as the center of world diplomacy by hosting UN bodies, including UNICEF. Just before, the head of EU commission, Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Israel and pledged the entity’s support to Israel, approving IDF’s action in Gaza. Later, in July 2024, IDF had killed 13, 000 children in Gaza, meaning UNICEF’s concern was ignored by the EU, but von der Leyen’s proposal was implemented, even against March 2024 UN expert report that Israel was committing genocide. Similarly, the international Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) have issued verdicts the former ordering Israel to halt practices that constitutes Genocide, and the latter indicting Israeli leadership for war crimes in Gaza. However, the EU which sanctions parties in other conflicts even without UN approval, has refused to take similar measures to halt genocide and instead continue its partnership in Israeli crime.
EU Sanctioning others but Aiding Israel
The EU has actively dished out sanctions to parties in other ongoing conflicts, for instance, against Sudanese government, Congolese rebels, and 14 installments against Russian entities, but has not raised a finger against Israel. The explanation for its inaction is that it has been Israel’s partner before and after October 7th, 2023 Hamas raid on Israel. 2023 EU’s ambassador’s conference revealed Europe’s duplicity as it pretends to support two-state solution while facilitating Israel to eliminate Palestinians. Joseph Borell, EU’s ‘foreign minister’ admitted that the outbreak of Israel-Palestinian conflict was caused by the West’s moral and political failure to balance interests of Israelis and Palestinians, before demonstrating how the failed policy should be maintained for Europe’s interest. He described how Israel was facilitating violent settlers to commit crimes in The West Bank, but could not mention how such provocations and others warranted Hamas’ raid, maybe due to his racist inclination. He added that the ongoing conflict was precipitated by the frustration of some (Palestinians) and hubris of others (Israelis). Looking back, it is clear that the EU chose to inflame Palestinians frustrations by augmenting Israeli’s hubris through continuing to support the latter’s actions. Astoundingly, Borell continued that the EU would continue unconditionally supporting Israel, to “defend itself against terrorists”, but could not mention a single terror attack in Europe that was orchestrated by Palestinians. Clearly, the EU would sustain the policy that precipitated the undesirable status quo, for ideological, and economic benefits.
EU putting its Economy above Palestinian Lives
EU’s partnership in Israeli crimes has intensified post October 7th. An article by war and peace expert Mark Akkerman published in TNI in June 2024, (link) summarizes its finding as; “the EU and Israel have adopted a ‘business as usual’ attitude throughout the ongoing genocide in Gaza, with the EU, and its member states, continuing to provide political cover and material support”. The term ‘business as usual’ denotes EU’s long-standing involvement in Israeli activities before and after October 7th, the kind that was revealed by Borell as mentioned earlier. The EU has continued to approve ammunition-making projects jointly with Israel, and invested hundreds of millions of euros, after October 7th 2023, meaning some of the products and proceeds of these projects are used in the ongoing genocide. In addition, Top arm manufacturers in EU including German Rheinmetall, and Norwegian Nammo continue to provide tank shells and bunker bursting munitions respectively, using funds from the EU. In addition, the EU has approved and funded 130 research collaboration projects with Israel at a cost of €126 million, to work with Israeli companies including Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI) which is embedded with IDF in reconnaissance and bombing missions in Gaza. It has also been funding Israeli universities that produce technologies utilized by IDF, which bombed the University of Gaza under the pretexts that it aided Hamas with technologies, showing sheer hypocrisy. Equally, other learning institutions within the EU including Dublin City University in Ireland have partnered with IDF in ‘war games’ in surveillance to produce findings that will be used in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. If any party was aiding Palestinians in a similar way as EU has done to Israel, it would automatically face EU sanctions and have its name smeared by western MSM. Maybe global conditions will change and have EU held to account for its part in supporting Israeli genocide.
Simon Chege Ndiritu, is a political observer and research analyst from Africa, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
