This is apropos a letter to the Editor headlined ‘Endless occupation’ carried by the newspaper yesterday.
Even more disturbing is the demolition of the home of Qadri Samara in Beit Duqqu after he was accused of killing an Israeli settler and arrested. Destroying the home of an accused person inflicts punishment and suffering on family members who may have had no involvement whatsoever in the alleged act. Such demolitions raise grave concerns about collective punishment and the obligations of an occupying power towards the civilian population under its control.
The reported violence in Burqa during the olive harvest further illustrates the vulnerability of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. A 44-year-old Palestinian Ali al-Bazzari was killed and nine others were wounded during an assault involving Israeli settlers and Israeli forces.
Reports that Palestinian medical workers were beaten and detained while attempting to reach the wounded are a shocking reminder of the dangers faced by those providing emergency care. Gaza remains a scene of devastation.
The deaths of innocent and unarmed people, including medical volunteers, must not become abstract statistics. Each represents a Palestinian life cut short and another family left to mourn amid destruction, displacement and profound uncertainty.
Saudia Kashif Khan, Islamabad
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026