Eyewitness to Annihilation

In a harrowing episode of *History As It Happens*, historian Jean-Pierre Filiu delivers a visceral, firsthand account of Gaza’s annihilation, describing a society reduced to a 'lunar landscape' of rubble, starvation, and systemic dehumanization. Having spent 32 days in Gaza as a humanitarian advisor for Doctors Without Borders, Filiu witnessed the complete erasure of Palestinian civilization—its infrastructure, water systems, and public services obliterated—while international media and aid were systematically blocked. He argues that Israel’s war is not merely military but an 'annihilation war' designed to atomize Palestinian society into a collection of 'bellies to be fed' and 'bodies to be cured.' The episode exposes how decades of blockade, the silencing of foreign journalists, and Western complicity—particularly through U.S. media denialism and the Biden administration’s inaction—enabled this catastrophe. Filiu draws chilling parallels between Gaza and Ukraine, Iran, and the rise of authoritarian leaders like Putin and Netanyahu, warning that the collapse of international law, press freedom, and diplomacy marks a dangerous return to pre-UN, pre-human rights eras. The episode ends with a stark call: Gaza must be reopened—not just for humanitarian reasons, but to preserve global humanity.