(Opinions expressed on this page are those of the author, and are not necessarily shared by Catholic Insight).
As the Germans did it to the Jews and Poles of Europe, as the Ukrainians to the Poles of Eastern Poland, so now we see another dark chapter being written in mankind’s history – the Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza. However, unlike previous genocides this one is being live-streamed before the eyes of the world, estimated to be currently about 60,000 victims, mostly women and children – a tragedy quickly unfolding on worldwide TV and internet. Under the command of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, regarded by many world leaders including the International Criminal Court as a war criminal, the Israel military has conducted a horrific campaign of collective punishment since 2023, perpetrated on the 2 million Palestinians living in horrible conditions in Israeli occupied Gaza – including the displacement from homes, bombardment of buildings, including places of worship with the resulting killing of innocent civilians, and withholding convoys of aid, thus preventing food, medicine and other essentials from reaching the starving Palestinians.
The United Nations estimates that nearly 1/3 of the Gaza population is going for days without food, and currently 127 civilians have died from malnutrition, with more than 2/3 of these being children – since they are more vulnerable according to doctors in Gaza. There are numerous videos showing the extent of the catastrophe there (with some pictures attached below), but in spite of mounting international pressure to allow humanitarian aid to Gaza, 25 nations including UK and France calling for an end to Israel’s Gaza offensive, and Turkey condemning Israel’s war in Gaza as a genocide, Israel is still denying starvation. Nevertheless, according to international humanitarian law, withholding aid and starving of civilians is considered a war crime.
Mr. Netanyahu, who has a warrant of arrest on him issued by the International Criminal Court, for war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare, and intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population, and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts, has now written along with his henchmen, a new chapter in the list of atrocities committed against mankind – which are the intentional destruction in whole or part of a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group of people.
This Genocide of the Palestinian people is quickly fueling more global outrage and condemnation, most likely due to greater live coverage and the vivid pictures of desperate people and starving children (please see attached pictures below) – for not to denounce, and not to boycott is complicity. Consequently, on August 2, 2025 there were major mass demonstrations in major cities of the world, with thousands protesting against the genocide, i.e. in Milan, Italy; in Paris, France; in New York, U.S.; in Berlin, Germany; and in Sydney Australia (August 3, 2025), all designed to put pressure on Israel to understand the gravity of this moment, and to put an end to the war, and to recognize, as have 147 countries of the world already, Palestine as a state.
However, in spite of the horrific videos and pictures from Gaza, and the United Nations recent warning that Gaza is one step away from a famine due to Israel halting aid completely in March, to pressure Hamas into a ceasefire, Israel is still denying the presence of starvation occurring, with the U.S. finally acknowledging it, only a few days ago. Shockingly, a U.S. Jewish Republican Congressman Randy Fine tweeted on July 15, 2025, “Release the hostages. Until then, starve away. (This is all a lie anyway. It amazes me that the media continues to regurgitate Muslim terror propaganda)”. As a response to his open calling for the starving of innocent people and children, another U.S. Congresswoman, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene reprimanded her fellow politician by tweeting on X, “It’s the most truthful and easiest thing to say that October 7-th in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza. But a Jewish U.S. Representative calling for the continued starvation of innocent people and children is disgraceful. His awful statement will actually cause more antisemitism.”
Unfortunately, hatred of other races, nations, ethnic or religious groups is not new to mankind’s history, proving the statement of the 18-th century British-Irish Member of Parliament and philosopher Edmund Burke M.P. very true, namely “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it”. Thus, on that note, and to pay our respect to those killed, it’s important we now remember 12 of the darkest chapters of mankind’s history of genocides and massacres (but certainly not all), namely:
- The Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi by the Hutu military of 1994;
- The Cambodian genocide of Cambodian citizens by communist Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot from 1975 to 1979;
- The Great Chinese Famine by the communist People’s Republic of China under Mao Zedong from 1959 to 1961;
- The genocide of Polish citizens in Wolyn and other areas of eastern Poland by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists led by Nazi collaborators and fascists Roman Shukhevych (UPA), and Stepan Bandera (OUN), from 1939 to 1947;
- The genocide of European Jews by Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler, from 1941 to 1945;
- The massacres of Polish citizens in Wola and other districts of Warsaw, by the German forces under the order of Nazis Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler, and perpetrated by Commander SS General Heinz Reinefarth in two days of August 4-th to 5-th, 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising from August 1-st to October 2-nd, 1944;
- The Katyn and surrounding areas massacre of Polish generals, military commanders and intelligentsia by order of communist Josef Stalin dictator of the Soviet Union, and carried out by the NKVD (communist secret police) in 1940;
- The Nanjing Massacre of Chinese civilians, noncombatants, and surrendered prisoners by the Imperial Japanese Army in Nanjing, China, under the order of Prince Yasuhiko Asaka and commanded by General Iwane Matsui, from 1937 to 1938;
- The Ukrainian Famine in Soviet Union of Ukrainians, by communist Josef Stalin, dictator of the Soviet Union, from 1930 to 1933;
- The genocide of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey), between 1915 and 1923;
- The genocide of Catholic laymen and religious in the Vendee region of France, during the Reign of Terror initiated by the staunchly anti-Catholic and anti-Monarchist French First Republic, and carried out by its Revolutionaries, especially Generals Turreau, Crouzat, Westermann, and Marceau – from 1793 to 1795;
- Ongoing genocide of the unborn worldwide, through abortions perpetrated by medical personnel, women helpers, with the consent and support of immoral politicians, judges, pregnant women, and people in general who live in democracies and knowingly vote for those politicians who are anti-life – carried out from ancient times, and legally beginning from communist Soviet Russia (1920), Canada (1969), U.S. (1973), etc. until the present moment.
Coincidentally, or providentially, I set my name to this article on the 81-st anniversary of the massacre of Polish citizens in the Wola district and other places of Warsaw (August 4-th and 5-th 1944) by the Nazi Germans during the Warsaw Uprising – the greatest underground armed operation in German occupied Europe, where the longing for freedom was stronger than fear, and lasted for 63 days, from August 1-st to October 2-nd, 1944.
The Wola massacre has been described by historian Alexandra Richie as ‘the largest single battlefield massacre of the Second World War’. One of its main commanders of the German forces, was war criminal SS General Heinz Reineforth, who along with his henchmen bears responsibility for the extermination of about 60,000 innocent civilians gunned down or blown up with grenades, after being forced from burning buildings, and then herded together in the Wola and other districts of Warsaw. The total number of estimated civilians killed during the 63 days of the Uprising was about 200,000 and 15,000 insurgents killed as well. Additionally, 700,000 were forced to leave Warsaw, which was nearly entirely demolished by the Germans.
Shamefully SS General Reineforth, and neither of his fellow perpetrators, stood trial for their war crimes, with Reineforth even receiving one of Germany’s highest decorations the Knight’s Cross for his actions during the Warsaw Uprising battles- including the massacre of innocent civilians! The British and American forces occupying Germany after WWII refused to extradite him to face trial in Poland. Also later, the German courts refused extradition, which resulted in him leading a successful life as the mayor of a German town of Westerland, and later becoming a member of the German Parliament, then finishing his life in retirement with a General’s pension, and dying in 1979.
Coincidentally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also a war criminal as deemed by the International Criminal Court, just like the war criminal of the Wola District SS General Reineforth, is leading a comfortable life and is still an active politician – even after the genocide of about 60,000 Palestinian civilians (eerily similar to the number of the 1944 Wola district massacre victims), and is still to face his earthly justice. This demonstrates that the impunity of the perpetrators of the Wola massacre is an example of the greatest debacle of post-war trials, and should influence our view of postwar justice achievements, and future handling of similar war criminals like Prime Minister Netanyahu. The Wola massacre is an example to everyone that, we have to be weary that even in case of current mass atrocities (like those in Gaza) political interests instead of justice could sadly still prevail as after WWII.
As a Polish-Canadian born in Warsaw I feel it is my duty to remember all those barbaric massacres and genocides mentioned above, not to seek vengeance (for one of my best personal friends was a German-Canadian, Dr Helmut Groh), but to commemorate those killed, and that we may learn from it – so hopefully the same history won’t repeat itself. However, when we stop to remember, when we stop to speak out and say enough is enough, we risk losing our shared humanity – no matter what religion, race or nation we belong to – and we cease to be a community of nations.
The famous Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, writing about the injustices inflicted by the Russian Tsar and his commanders on the Polish people, during the 19-th century when Poland was under their control, and didn’t exist as a sovereign nation for 123 years (in the same way as the Palestinians are under Israeli control) – wrote this in his famous story entitled “Dziady”, namely: “If I forget about them, You God in heaven, forget about me.”
Dr Andrzej Caruk August 5, 2025
Kitchener, ON 81-st Anniversary of the Wola District Massacre
of Poles by Nazi Germans, during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944
