Israeli rights groups call for end to Gaza genocide: 'It's important to call things what they are' - Physicians for Human Rights-Israel

CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit is joined by Aseel Aburass, a researcher for Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, to talk about their call for Israel to cease its genocide in Gaza.

Listen below:

The call to end the genocide in Gaza is growing stronger inside Israel’s borders.

Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem has partnered with Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) to call for an end to Israel’s attacks on the people of Palestine. 

The groups have recently released reports on the situation in Gaza.

B’Tselem’s report describes the development of a 'genocidal regime in Israel, working to destroy Palestinian society in Gaza'.

Physicians for Human Rights-Israel has published an analysis documenting the 'deliberate and systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system'.

Both groups are calling on Israelis (and the international community) to take immediate action to stop the genocide, using all legal tools available under international law. 

ALSO READ: UN reports 20% of children in Gaza City are malnourished

"It's important when you say 'genocide'; it holds a moral and legal sense. It is important to call things what they are when you see what is happening."

- Aseel Aburass, Researcher - Physicians for Human Rights-Israel

Kiewit asks if internal dissenting voices are leading to any real shift in public opinion and policy.

Not really, says Aburass.

"For the past few days, there have been more protests because of the recent pictures that everybody is seeing of children being starved..."

- Aseel Aburass, Researcher - Physicians for Human Rights-Israel

"But for me, it's painful to know that the only way for more protests to happen is that you need to see ribcages."

- Aseel Aburass, Researcher - Physicians for Human Rights-Israel

ALSO READ: Western moral credibility is dying along with thousands of Gaza citizens

Both B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) say they acknowledge that the events of 7 October 2023 were a 'triggering' event within the most recent Israel-Gaza history.

On that date, Hamas launched a brutal attack on Israel, killing over 800 civilians and taking 251 Israelis hostage.

"We recognise it as something that started this current offence, but it's not the first thing that started the dehumanisation and the war. History didn't start on 7 October."

- Aseel Aburass, Researcher - Physicians for Human Rights-Israel

Scroll up to the audio player to hear the full conversation from Good Morning Cape Town.