An explosion rocked the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, that killed about 500 people, triggering strong international condemnation.
Israeli police force. (Wikimedia)
A private apparel unit in Kannur, Kerala, was in the news for making and supplying uniforms for the Israeli police.
The firm that has been supplying the light blue, long-sleeved uniform shirts of the Israel police force for the past eight years, has announced a temporary freeze on Friday, 20 October, on new orders from the force in light of the recent bombings of hospitals in Palestine.
Thomas Olickal, who runs the Maryan Apparel Pvt Limited, said the firm has taken a decision not to take any new orders from the Israel police until the war in Gaza is stopped.
Elaborating his stand, Olickal said, “We have been making uniforms for the Israel police since 2015. The Hamas attack, killing civilians cannot be accepted. Similarly, the revenge by Israel also cannot be accepted.”
“Denying food and water to over 25 lakh people, bombing hospitals, killing innocent women and children and all cannot be accepted at all. We want the war to end and the peace to prevail,” Olickal said in a video message.
“We request everyone to stop the war. The Israel force will not be short of uniforms because of our decision. But this is a moral decision. The bombing of hospitals cannot be accepted… We have decided not to take further orders temporarily,” he added.
He said his firm will honour the existing contracts as per the international agreement but has decided not to accept any new orders until the war ends.
Launched at the state-run Kinfra Park in 2006, the company specialises in the uniforms of army, police, security officers and health service workers from various countries across the globe.
It also supplies school uniforms, dresses for supermarket staff, doctors’ coats, coveralls, corporate wear and so on.
The apparel unit was set up in Kannur with the objective of providing employment to local people who had become jobless due to the decline of the traditional “beedi” sector there.
Olickal had earlier said the Israel police approached his company after coming to know they were specialising in uniform making.
Kerala’s Minister for Industries P Rajeeve shared the news of Maryan stopping orders from Israel on his social media.
The comment section of the post was a mixed bag. While a section applauded the firm for taking a stand against war, others opinioned that it was unnecessary and harmful to business prospects.
As the news broke that the apparel unit has taken the decision to freeze the new orders, a section of the internet applauded its decision against war.
A user commented, “That company is a private firm. Business in the Middle East will be more important than the Israel Order. That’s the business.”
A host of other users expressed their solidarity with Palestine.
An X user wrote, “Wow.. brilliant news from Kerala! morals before profit, always!”
Wow.. brilliant news from Kerala! 🖤 morals before profit, always! 🙌🏼 https://t.co/6pJLggsZgM
— N.✨🇵🇸 (@lilyoonberry) October 20, 2023
Another user criticised the move saying, it was appeasement policies.
Kerala Govt shutdown the unit of an apparel company in Kannur that was making uniform for Israel Police! So much for appeasement politics!!
Will they stop exporting Nurses and Caretakers to Israel too? pic.twitter.com/6ST0woMD29— നചികേതസ് (@nach1keta) October 20, 2023
A war has broke out between Israel and Palestine after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza earlier this month.
The war that began on 7 October has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides.
An explosion rocked the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, on Tuesday, 17 October, that killed about 500 people, triggering strong international condemnation.
Palestinian authorities blamed Israeli air strikes for the explosion at the hospital while Israel said it was caused by a misfired rocket launched from Gaza by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 3,300 people have been killed and over 12,000 wounded in Gaza since the conflict began.
(With PTI inputs)
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