Israel’s Renewed Military Actions, Humanitarian Impact, and Pleas for Global Intervention
The Gaza Strip faces another harrowing crisis as Israel renews its military actions after the truce fell apart on December 1st. Tensions have quickly risen, focusing on Khan Younis as a major target, resulting in a distressing number of Palestinian injuries, notably among children.
The Toll on Palestinians’ Lives and Homes
Since October 7, at least 15,500 Palestinians have lost their lives, with an alarming 6,150 being children. The recent onslaught, initiated after the truce breakdown, has claimed an additional 700 lives, according to the Gaza Director-General of the Government Media Office. Shockingly, over 60% of homes lie in ruins, rendering at least 50,000 people homeless, and more than 250,000 housing units partially destroyed.
Truce Breakdown
The conflict escalated when Hamas breached the temporary truce with Israel on Friday, December 1, by not submitting a list of hostages earmarked for release by 7 a.m., as outlined in the prior week’s agreement. Israel, in response to Hamas’ failure to release the last female hostage, decided to resume hostilities. Israeli representative Eylon Levy explicitly warned of severe consequences, stating, “By choosing to retain our women, Hamas will now face severe consequences.”
Hamas sought to negotiate the release terms for elderly male civilian hostages in Gaza, while Israel insisted on addressing female hostages. Hamas argued that these women were soldiers and thus not covered by the original truce, which exclusively applied to Israeli civilians. Despite proposing new terms, Israel rejected Hamas’s suggestions without offering concessions. With no agreement reached, Israel withdrew. Just before the truce was set to conclude, Israel reported the interception of rockets from Gaza by its Iron Dome.
Humanitarian Aid Blockade
The UN World Food Program (WFP) has issued a warning about the looming possibility of a famine in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing the inadequacy of supplies to address the observed hunger levels reported by WFP staff in UN shelters. Samer Abdeljaber, the WFP representative and country director in Palestine, expressed that the program’s teams have witnessed a distressing situation marked by “hunger, despair, and destruction.” Corinne Fleischer, the WFP’s director for the MENA and Eastern Europe Region, pointed out that the current six-day assistance period falls short of meeting the ongoing daily nutritional needs of the people in Gaza, emphasizing the critical necessity for sustained support beyond this limited timeframe.
This adds to the urgency of finding a diplomatic resolution to allow the resumption of aid.
Investigative Report on Israeli Tactics
A recent joint investigation by 972mag, Mekomit, and confirmed by the Guardian alleges deliberate targeting and killing of Palestinian civilians by Israel. Based on conversations with Israeli intelligence sources, the report uncovers a disturbing strategy of intentionally aiming at civilians, including children, in each strike. Israel purportedly identifies “power targets,” such as homes and public buildings, with the goal of intimidating Palestinian civilians and undermining their society.
According to the sources, the Israeli military command knowingly authorized the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians to eliminate a single top Hamas military commander. The approval for collateral damage increased from previous operations that resulted in dozens of civilian deaths targeting senior officials to the deliberate causation of hundreds of civilian casualties while pursuing the same objective.
One source emphasized the deliberate nature of these actions, stating, “Nothing happens by chance.” They further explained, “When a 3-year-old girl dies in a Gaza home, it’s because a calculated decision was made within the military that her death wasn’t a significant concern — her sacrifice was deemed acceptable to achieve the goal of targeting another individual. We differentiate ourselves from Hamas; these are not random attacks. Every action is intentional, and we have full awareness of the expected collateral damage in each household.”
Call for International Intervention
The deliberate targeting of civilians and civil society in Gaza is unequivocally denounced as both illegal and inhumane. Urging an immediate investigation into Israel’s actions, the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies stresses the critical need to address potential war crimes. We call for intervention to aid diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire, resume humanitarian aid, and seek a lasting resolution to the enduring conflict.
In the face of escalating violence and humanitarian distress, the world must unite to ensure the protection of innocent lives and work towards a sustainable and just resolution to the conflict.
Sources
Abraham, Yuval. 2023. “’A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza”. +972 magazine. November 30th. Accessed December 4th, 2023.
https://www.972mag.com/mass-assassination-factory-israel-calculated-bombing-gaza/
Al Jazeera. 2023. “The Israel-Hamas truce has ended: What we know so far”. Al Jazeera. December 1st. Accessed December 4th, 2023.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/1/the-israel-hamas-truce-has-ended-what-we-know-so-far
Aslan, Ziad. 2023. “Gaza at risk of famine, warns World Food Program”. Andalou Ajansi. November 29th. Accessed December 4th, 2023.
Barbakh, Arafat & Nidal Mughrabi. 2023. “Israel says fighting Hamas across Gaza, ships attacked in Red Sea. Reuters. December 4th. Accessed December 4th, 2023.
Fabian, Emanuel & Toi Staff. 2023. “IDF carries out ‘extensive’ airstrikes on Khan Younis area amid heavy Gaza fighting. The Time of Israel. December 2nd. Accessed December 4th, 2023.
Hamad, Sam. 2023. “Gaza: How did Hamas and Israel’s truce come to an end?”. News Arab. December 2nd. Accessed December 4th, 2023.
https://www.newarab.com/news/gaza-how-did-hamas-and-israels-truce-come-end
Sabbagh, David & Jason Burke. 2023. “Israel launches strikes on Gaza as fighting resumes after truce expires”. The Guardian. December 1st. Accessed December 4th, 2023.
Siddiqui, Usaid & Virginia Pietromarchi. 2023. “Israel-Gaza war updates: ‘No negotiations now on truce’, says Hamas”. Al Jazeera. December 2nd. Accessed December 4th, 2023.
