What is happening in Gaza: these are the keys to the war between Israel and Hamas and the situation of the Palestinians
Tension increases at the gates of the Gaza Strip as Israel prepares a large-scale offensive against the terrorist organization Hamas in response to the terrorist attacks on October 7 in Israeli territory.. Israeli troops will try with their ground offensive to free the hostages captured by Hamas and end their presence in Gaza. Meanwhile, more than two million Palestinians suffer the consequences of a conflict that the West views with concern about a possible escalation of violence in the Middle East.
This war, the first that Israel has fought since Yom Kippur in 1973, writes a new chapter in the long Arab-Israeli conflict and threatens to provoke an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, while the world holds its breath in the face of the confrontation. between Hamas and Israel and the possible consequences at the international level.
Hamas attack on Israeli territory
On October 7, Hamas launched a major attack from Gaza, dubbed by the terrorist organization as the “Al-Aqsa Flood”, coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. As around 2,200 rockets fired from Gaza reached Israeli territory, Hamas militants attacked the border with vehicles and troops, killing hundreds of Israeli civilians at the kibbutzim and at a music festival near the Gaza border.
In addition to the killings, Hamas took approximately 150 civilians hostage, including the elderly, children and babies.. Approximately 1,300 civilians and soldiers were killed by Hamas during the attack, according to the BBC.
Israel declares a state of war
The Hamas attacks prompted an immediate response from Israel, which declared a state of war and began Operation 'Iron Sword'.. The Israeli army mobilized to reinforce the borders, surround the Gaza Strip and search for Hamas terrorists who had remained in Israeli territory.
After regaining control throughout its territory, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began bombing targets in Gaza, including residential buildings, communication towers, hospitals and military compounds, in addition to cutting off the supply of water, electricity and food to the Gaza Strip. Gazan territory, one of the most densely populated in the world with more than two million inhabitants.
On October 13, the Israeli army issued an evacuation notice for Palestinians from the northern Gaza Strip (more than a million inhabitants including Gaza City) to the south of the territory while the Israelis prepare a major ground offensive. to rescue hostages and “dismantle” Hamas. The airstrikes and siege on Gaza have not ceased while the ground invasion of the strip appears imminent.
Humanitarian catastrophe for two million Palestinians
The war against Hamas and the Israeli offensive on Gaza has raised concern in the international community about the consequences it will have for the more than two million Palestinians who reside in the strip.. The population density and the infiltration of Hamas and its structures in urban areas explain the consequences of the Israeli bombings, which have resulted in the death of more than 2,800 Gazans, according to the BBC.
The blockade of supplies to Gaza, as well as the evacuation notice from the north of the region, have turned the strip into a “total catastrophe”, according to Doctors Without Borders and CNN.. The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees has assured that the situation has turned Gaza “into a hellhole on the verge of collapse”. The millions of Palestinians called to evacuate northern Gaza have nowhere to go while the Rafah border crossing (Egypt) remains closed and the lack of supplies turns the situation into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the region.
The West condemns Hamas and calls on Israel to respect human rights in Gaza
Faced with the war between Hamas and Israel and the situation of the Palestinians in Gaza, Western governments have shown their support for Israel, although recently they have clarified that their response against Hamas must occur “within international law and humanitarian law.” , as stated in the Council of Europe statement that urges Hamas to “immediately release” the hostages and highlights the importance of protecting humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. The EU also states its commitment to “a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution.”
The 27 members of the European Council have signed a joint statement setting out the EU's position on the situation in the Middle East.
We strongly condemn Hamas' indiscriminate terrorist attacks and recognize Israel's right to defend itself within the…
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) October 15, 2023
For its part, the United States has reaffirmed its support for Israel and has sent military personnel, such as the largest aircraft carrier in the world, to the eastern Mediterranean as a deterrent to other actors such as Iran or the Lebanese militia Hezbollah from intervening in the conflict.. While the White House expressed its support for the Jewish State, President Biden clarified that Hamas “does not represent all of the Palestinian people” and called a possible Israeli invasion of Gaza “a big mistake.”
Israel prepares for ground offensive in Gaza
The efforts of the international community to achieve a ceasefire that would allow humanitarian aid to be provided in Gaza have not been fruitful, according to Reuters, while Israel keeps the strip under siege waiting to begin the ground offensive to end Hamas.. According to the agency, Israel has also evacuated its northern border with Lebanon due to an escalation of violence between its army and Hezbollah.
With Gaza under siege and without resources, it seems a matter of time before the start of an operation that will be long and threatens to unleash a larger scale conflict in the Middle East. For now, the consequences for the two million Palestinians due to the evacuation and the cut of supplies will be “devastating”, according to the United Nations.