The IAEA chief warned that the NPP must never be attacked. This is an extremely serious warning which comes from the mouth of the IAEA chief. The dreadful memories of the Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and the Fukushima nuclear power plant disasters remind us of the immense loss of life and infrastructure in and around the regions coupled with the long lasting consequences of radiations. Therefore the global community is not only concerned but frightened that if the war in Ukraine escalates, threat of a nuclear accident cannot be ruled out. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that his country would not rule out using nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or territory were threatened. He gave this statement on 5th June 2024 when he met in person with senior editors from international news agencies for the first time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In addition to the Russia Ukraine region, the on-going Israeli aggression on women and children in Gaza is heart-rending. Citizens of Gaza are being pushed here and there like herds of cattle. They are asked by the Israeli defence forces to shift to safer places or face death. But the so called safer places too are attacked and children and women killed with impunity. Since October 7, the WHO has recorded a total of 890 attacks on health facilities, with 443 occurring in Gaza and 447 in the West Bank .

Hospitals are generally considered as safe places during war times as the warring parties are expected not to attack the healthcare facilities as per the Geneva Convention, which states that ‘Civilian hospitals organized to give care to the wounded and sick, the infirm and maternity cases, may in no circumstances be the object of attack but shall at all times be respected and protected by the Parties to the conflict’. Therefore many a times the citizens would try to shift to the hospitals for safety.

There is serious nutritional crisis in Gaza because of several impediments to the Humanitarian aid reaching the Gazans. The WHO and the UNICEF have warned about the rise in the diseases. Detection of Polio Virus among the inhabitants has shaken the medical fraternity. Death of over 40,000 persons killed is a repeat of the Nakba of 1948 when dozens of massacres targeted Palestinian Arabs and over 500 Arab-majority towns, villages, and urban neighbourhoods were depopulated, with many of these being either completely destroyed or repopulated by Jews and given new Hebrew names.

The area of war is increasing with every passing day to Lebanon. There is a serious danger as the tension between and Iran is brewing up. Israel is already a nuclear weapons possessing state and Iran has nuclear power. Amichai Eliyahu, a far-right member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet has not ruled out the use of nuclear weapons. His statement cannot be ignored out rightly. It may be noted here that the Israel has completely ignored the decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). No wonder Israel has the backing of USA in such matters.

It is well known that during war times the issues of human welfare take a back seat. Hunger, deprivation and diseases in several African countries have become the cause of internal strife in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. There is little talk of easing the situation in these countries in the UN forums.

Wars mean huge profits to the Military Industrial Complex. The damage to the environment being caused by the present day military activity is said to contribute nearly 5.4% of total environmental degradation. The very presence of nuclear weapons poses a big threat. Even if these weapons are not used, the cost involved in their maintenance falls upon the investment on health, education and other social needs. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has come out with figures comparing the usefulness of the money wasted on the production and maintenance of these weapons.

While healthcare systems around the world are unable to reach the needs of the people, the nuclear arms states wasted US$ 91.4 billion in 2023 on updating their nuclear arsenals. The ICAN report points out that this amount could have been better spent to cover the annual salary of 718,930 nurses in the United States; Vaccinating 534,354,072,239 children against measles, mumps, and rubella; Vaccinating 2,283,027,774 people against COVID. Saving 587,064,285 people from famine for a year; Planting 608,807,406,304 trees; OR Providing a year of clean water sanitation to 1,398,101,964 people.

The data is startling. Only thing is that the society and the countries have to realise this danger. People around the global want peace. It is therefore important that the will of the people must prevail. It is the primary duty of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to pass and implement the resolutions for a lasting peace and nuclear disarmament. The G20, which is a group of powerful nations should ensure nuclear disarmament. The Civil society in turn has to raise its voice stronger than ever before to impress upon the nine nuclear possessing countries to join the multilateral UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). (IPA Service)