On not forgetting Gaza
Israel's war of annihilation in Gaza hasn't stopped for even one day.
The situation in Gaza rarely reaches the mainstream media in the West anymore. It should, because the humanitarian crisis and ongoing Israeli aggression remains catastrophic. Netanyahu now boasts about controlling 60 percent of Gaza (an amount of territory that breaches the collapsing “ceasefire”).
A close friend from Gaza recently told me about her family member, still stuck in the besieged territory, nearly dying because he’d fallen into a latrine pit and couldn’t get out for hours. Like so many civilians in Gaza, people are forced to dig these make-shift and unhygienic spaces due to the unending war.
I’m in contact with a Palestinian doctor in Gaza who runs a makeshift clinic. He recently shared photos of an event he’d organised for young children who’d lost both parents in the last years.
“Seeing the smiles on the children’s faces was the most beautiful part of the day”, he told me. “These simple moments of joy remind us of the importance of kindness, compassion, and standing beside those who need support and care.”
This is life in Gaza today with no end in sight.
Read this story from the US outlet, Drop Site News:
Six months into the so-called ceasefire, Khilla gave up hope Israel would ever allow excavators and other equipment into Gaza for Palestinians to retrieve the thousands of the missing dead. Last week, he along with several relatives decided to embark on the seemingly impossible task of digging through the massive pile of rubble with nothing more than hammers and shovels. “We had had enough, so we said we would bring them out ourselves,” he said. “But all we have is broken equipment and broken tools. We don’t even have anything to cut metal.”
…
Between 8,500 and 10,000 bodies remain buried under the wasteland of Gaza. Many had hoped that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that went into effect on October 10 would put an end to the Israeli military’s relentless attacks and brutal siege. Neither turned out to be true. Israel has killed at least 857 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded almost 2,500 in near daily attacks since the “ceasefire,” bringing the total toll since the start of the genocide to nearly 72,800. Israel has also drastically escalated its attacks on Gaza in the five weeks since halting its joint bombing campaign against Iran, carrying out 35% more strikes in April than in March, according to conflict monitor ACLED.
I’m an independent journalist without any institutional backing. If you’re able to support me financially, by donating money to continue this work, I’d hugely appreciate it. You can find donating options in the menu bar at the top of my website, via Substack and here.
My podcast, The Antony Loewenstein Podcast, continues to grow in reach and diversity of subjects. It’s a weekly show, you can find it on YouTube, Spotify and Apple, and completely independently produced so any $ and support you can provide would be hugely appreciated in this age of hot takes, AI-generated outrage and mainstream bigotry.
Here’s the recent episodes:
The life and times of a civilian inside Iran today:
On Australia’s Royal Commission on Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion:
A three-part series on the rise, fall and surge of One Nation, Australia’s most prominent far-right political party:
I regularly speak on TV and other media about the profound violence and ongoing wars in the Middle East. Here's a small example of recent interviews:
The litany of breaking news, ongoing crisis and a manic news cycle makes it hard to focus on long term projects (though I’m happy to say that the writing of my new book, out later in 2027, continues apace; a global investigation on Israel/Palestine).
Here are some recent interviews:
A long conversation with SBS Radio Arabic about Palestine, writing critically on the Middle East and growing censorship;
Interview with the Portuguese outlet, Shifter, on the Palestine laboratory;
Interview with Michael West Media about Australia’s Royal Commission into anti-semitism and the desperate need for critical Jewish voices.
My monthly column for the UK outlet, Middle East Eye:
My review of the new book by UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese on Gaza and stories from Palestine in The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age:
Three years since the launch of my book, The Palestine Laboratory, it continues to be released in new translation editions (around 17 editions globally and counting).
In the last month, the Bangla version was released in Bangladesh:
I’m excited that a new readership can engage with this issue (and I’ll soon be speaking at a Sydney launch with the Bangladeshi community).
We continue to publish independent journalism at Declassified Australia including this striking investigation:
You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter for constantly updated content. My website has information about all my work, books and documentary films stretching back to 2003.
I’m an independent journalist without any institutional backing. If you’re able to support me financially, by donating money to continue this work, I’d hugely appreciate it. You can find donating options in the menu bar at the top of my website, via Substack and here.
Thanks very much for reading.
Take care.
Antony