Israel has continued to launch airstrikes and ground offensive on Gaza with the intention to entirely erase Hamas. The war which began on October 7 after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, that killed around 1,200 Israeli civilians, is well into the day 78 now. Israel’s relentless attack on Gaza and other areas in response to Hamas’ attack has so far taken the lives of more than 20,000 Palestinians, while nearly 50,000 people have been wounded as per Gaza health officials. This number includes babies as young as two-year-olds to the senior citizens in their 90s.
Over two-thirds of all structures in Northern Gaza have been destroyed and, as reported by World Health Organisation, the respective region no longer has any functional hospitals. There is no food or medicines and so unfortunate is the situation that war victims tell each other jokes in a futile attempt to forget their pain. People who have died in the hospital are covered in a white cloth with only the mention of their gender on it. Sometimes names are mentioned on the cloth if there is a way to know their names, or the dead bodies are simply kept on the pile of other bodies outside. Those who wish to find their relatives have to search their loved ones in these piles of bodies. All the 90 reporters covering the war have also lost their lives.
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The Israel-Hamas conflict is a burning example of common civilians being at the receiving end of battle between two powers. Israel’s attack has been so intense that more than 80% Palestinians have become homeless. Israel already declared that it does not acknowledge the international humanitarian laws. Given India’s strong diplomatic ties with Israel, the country had abstained from voting for the resolution in favour of ceasefire which was tabled on October 27, despite 8,000 Palestinian casualties reported till that date. Thankfully, India voted in favour of the ceasefire during the UNGA’s resolution on December 12. The resolution demanded that Israel immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, open of routes for people to seek help and for Israel to follow humanitarian laws during the war. India had to vote in favour of the resolution as 152 other countries did so. Israel is fully backed by America.
Israel so far has launched more than 30,000 airstrikes on Gaza and surrounding areas. It is important to note that these missiles are uncontrolled once launched, they explode unpredictably anywhere without a particular target. Such missiles have wreaked havoc in the Gaza strip. According to Israel, they are targeting Hamas supporters but the ground reality is different as proved by the reports. Israel has blocked supplies of food, fuel and roads as well as communication mediums to Gaza. There is also no water supply due to shortage of fuel.
How do the common people survive in such a situation? Is everyone in Gaza a terrorist? Commoners are requesting reporters for food. After IDF ordered residents of North Gaza to shift to the Southern side, many people took refuge in the Khan Yunus region. However, Israel has started bombing this area as well. So enraged is Israel that it did not leave out schools either. Israel’s campaign to end Hamas is in fact taking a gruesome toll on common people of Palestine. Although America has said that Israel should follow the war guidelines, USA’s own national security advisor Jack Sullivan himself stated that the war will go on for another few months. After meeting Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders, Sullivan met with the Palestinian authorities in West Bank. While speaking about the war at Tel Aviv, Sullivan said he feared that the war will prolong, but made it clear that America does not want innocent civilians to lose their lives.
It is difficult to predict how many more innocent lives this war will take before this inhumane menace is stopped. After all this, will this be the end of Hamas? As per political experts, the answer is no as many youths are joining the organisation in honour of their ideology. There are many hurdles in front of Israel as they simply do not have all the information on Hamas’ bunkers and tunnels. This is what led to Israel launching relentless airstrikes on Gaza. One wonders if this war may give birth to another world war.
