Is a bloody war looming?
We are deeply worried about the escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine as the former has imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip, cut off electricity, food, fuel and water supplies, and kept bombing targets in the Palestinian enclave in response to Hamas' recent attack on Israel. Reportedly, while the Israeli military have claimed that over 1,200 people died from the attack on Israel as of Wednesday - the rise in death toll due to the discovery of new bodies, not from the ongoing fighting - according to Gaza's health ministry, at least 900 people, including at least 140 children, were killed in the Gaza Strip by Israel's retaliatory airstrikes.
What is further worrying is that Israel is now planning a ground assault to defeat Hamas and liberate the hostages held by it. Israel has already begun gathering weapons and troops on the Gaza border for a ground operation, while President Netanyahu has warned Gaza civilians to get away from all Hamas sites, which he vowed to turn "to rubble". All this means that a major humanitarian crisis will soon unfold in Gaza, if the international community fails to intervene for a ceasefire.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. But it is alarming to see the responses so far by the international community, particularly the US – Israel's key ally – and other Western countries. While they are condemning the violence carried out by Hamas, they are shamefully silent on Israel's plan to go on a war. The US has already pledged its "rock solid" support for Israel, and as part of it, started sending weapons and warships to the country. Meanwhile, the EU halted development aid payments to the Palestinians and said it was placing 691 million euros ($728 million) of support "under review", which is shocking.
It is well known that the current situation is partly a result of the dire socioeconomic situation in the besieged Gaza Strip. Israel has been regularly attacking the occupied West Bank and Palestinian citizens of Israel. But we have not seen the West raise concern about this. It is through their indifference or indulgence that the situation has come to this point. We hope they will take a strong stance now with a catastrophic war looming on the horizon. The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that he was "deeply distressed" by the siege announcement. We hope that the UN, as well as other countries, will raise their voice for a ceasefire so that the humanitarian crisis facing Gaza can be prevented.
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