Gaza: A Humanitarian Crisis Unfolding – Latest Updates and Analysis

2024-03-21 14:11:44

Gaza is the scene of a tragedy that defies all humanitarian logic. In this strangled strip of land, the cries of victims mingle with the din of bombings, creating an atmosphere of despair that resonates throughout the world. The current situation is beyond comprehension: Gaza has become a veritable open-air cemetery, where lie the shattered hopes of thousands of women, men and children. A poignant reality that even the greatest principles of humanitarian law cannot ignore, as rightly denounced on Monday by Josep Borrell, head of European diplomacy.

“Before the war, Gaza was the largest open-air prison. Today, it is the largest open-air cemetery for tens of thousands of people, but also for many of the most important principles of humanitarian law,” he declared on the sidelines of a meeting of ministers of EU Foreign Affairs. The murderous violence of the Israeli army is a source of desolation, transforming every street, every house into a silent tomb. One of the latest acts of cruelty committed by the Israeli army is the operation launched Monday on the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, al-Chifa, a symbol of the fragility of life in this tormented region.

Thousands of civilians, already tested by months of suffering, are refugees there, trapped, their fate in the hands of an implacable military force. This means that in this spiral of violence and despair, Israel does not seem to impose any moral limits on itself. Hospitals thus become legitimate targets in its murderous crusade once morest Hamas. At the same time, the declarations of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sound like a sinister omen, including the announcement of an imminent offensive in Rafah, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians are trapped in terror and violence. ‘uncertainty.

“No international pressure will prevent us from achieving all the objectives of our war (…). We will act in Rafah, it will take a few weeks, but it will happen,” he suggested on Sunday, despite calls for de-escalation launched by the international community. Disastrous humanitarian situation Faced with this escalation of violence, international initiatives are multiplying, but are struggling to find echo in the clash of arms. Talks for a truce appear doomed to failure, leaving Gaza residents to their fate. At the same time, the humanitarian situation is deteriorating at an alarming rate. More than 1.1 million Gazans, already bruised by the chaos of war, are facing “a situation of catastrophic hunger”, close to famine, warns the UN.

As Borrell denounces, “this famine is being used as a weapon of war” by Israel, which deliberately obstructs the entry of food and humanitarian aid, in flagrant violation of international law. For the UN, “the extent of the restrictions imposed by Israel on the entry of aid into Gaza, as well as the manner in which it continues to conduct hostilities, may amount to the use of famine as a method of warfare , which constitutes a war crime.

The NGO Oxfam did not hesitate to denounce this cruel and inhumane strategy, which condemns innocent people to a slow death. Deaths which will be added to an already very heavy toll. Indeed, in Gaza, nearly 32,000 people have been killed since the start of the war on October 7. Date on which the West Bank, territory occupied since 1967 by Israel where nearly 500,000 Israelis live in colonies deemed illegal by international law, also became the scene of regular military operations and abuses by all kinds of settlers. towards the Palestinians.

According to the Palestinian Authority, more than 430 Palestinians were killed there by fire from the army or Israeli settlers. How many more lives will it be necessary to sacrifice before the collective conscience awakens and puts an end to these atrocities orchestrated by an Israeli army which has lost all humanity? Today, political negotiations are blocked, appeals for reason remain unheeded and the posturing of the international community has little effect. Meanwhile, Israel continues to act with impunity. And the Gazans are dying.

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