Amid international silence...Gaza, where to?

Large numbers of Palestinians in Gaza began to live in tragic humanitarian conditions. This coincided with an increase in the number of Palestinian deaths and injuries, and the destruction of vital infrastructure and facilities. The siege and repeated bombings have caused a lack of security and stability in the region, and a loss of confidence between the Palestinian and Israeli parties. It is important to emphasize that human rights must be respected and protected, and that a peaceful and just solution is the key to ending this ongoing conflict

International humanitarian organizations such as the International Red Cross are usually responsible for transporting humanitarian aid and evacuating the injured and sick. The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 commits states to ensuring the free flow of humanitarian aid, including medicines, medical equipment, food, and clothing to civilians.

Here the question arises about the extent of the humanitarian repercussions of this siege imposed by the extreme right-wing government of Israel, with the blessing and support of the United States.

In light of these important events, we face another question: Is imposing the siege on such a large number of civilians, especially children, legal? This is complicated by the difficulty of their exit as displaced persons or refugees, which is the situation facing citizens of countries involved in armed conflicts. These difficulties are due to the distinct nature of the Palestinian issue, which Palestinians residing in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the occupied Palestinian cities represent and defend. In the end, what are the possible scenarios for lifting this blockade, even partially?

Today, Gaza is facing a massive humanitarian catastrophe, but it is not the result of natural or environmental disasters. Rather, it is a humanitarian catastrophe resulting from the continued Israeli military aggression.

According to information from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory on 16 October 2023, the number of Palestinian deaths from humanitarian consequences in the first ten days was more than 2,670 due to Israeli attacks. Among the victims were 600 children and about 9,600 people were injured.

Israeli air strikes, which began since the outbreak, damaged several water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in northern Gaza. These facilities provided water and sanitation services to more than 1,100,000 people, and thus about half of the population suffers without potable water or sanitation services. At the same time, mayors within the Strip enjoy all amenities, including water and electricity. In Beit Lahia and other northern areas, sewage and waste are piling up on the streets due to damage to sewage networks and infrastructure. There are reports by the World Health Organization about 48 attacks on health facilities within the Gaza Strip, and they were documented in the organization’s system for monitoring attacks on health care facilities. These attacks resulted in the deaths of 12 healthcare workers, the injury of 20 others, and damaged at least 18 healthcare facilities and 20 ambulances.

Sieges and starvation practices are legitimate acts in situations of armed conflict that target military personnel only. However, international humanitarian law prohibits starvation practices against civilians. Despite the importance of including this principle in the Geneva Convention, its wording was ambiguous, which allowed the parties imposing the blockade to exploit this gap, as the legal text prohibits starvation but does not prohibit the blockade itself, and it also does not include future starvation - which is not intended - Especially when it coincides with the bombing of besieged areas, commercial markets, and infrastructure necessary for the continuation of life, and the interruption of water.

This legal opening opened the door to interpretations indicating that the goal was to allow humanitarian missions to enter without facing legal prosecution for the act of the blockade itself, in order to facilitate taking any international military action to break the blockade. Especially since any country under siege always claims that it faces military threats, and its goal is not to starve civilians.

Accordingly, this imposes an additional responsibility under international humanitarian laws, as permission must be obtained from any interested party to allow the entry of humanitarian missions to assist. In addition, the “Oxford Handbook” of Humanitarian Assistance in Situations of Armed Conflict describes the refusal to enter humanitarian aid as an authoritarian act, in the event that the state violates its obligations towards civilians under international law.

In the case of the current Gaza siege, we are faced with extreme clarity due to Israeli officials' explicit yet contradictory statements targeting civilians without any confusion or confusion. Therefore, Israel directly condemns the crime of using the weapon of hunger against civilians indiscriminately. A legitimate militarily and legally siege, according to international humanitarian law, must target militants in a specific location to force them to surrender. This is completely different from the concept of starvation of civilians, which does not distinguish between them and militants and aims to completely eliminate people. This is clearly evident from the threats and warnings of officials and the implementation of these threats. Therefore, what Israel is doing at the present time, according to international law, undoubtedly constitutes genocide against Gaza.

After throwing the Palestinian people into five wars in the Gaza Strip against an extremist fascist enemy, the Hamas movement insists on full control in making peace and war decisions according to regional agendas that do not care about the interests of the Palestinian people at all. To clarify my political position, I say that this battle is a proxy battle between Israel and Iran, as both of them are fighting with the blood of the Palestinian people, without any thought that the blood of the Palestinians is the most precious in the region and even in the entire world, and that it flows in vain in the face of Iranian, Israeli and American political interests.

By enlarging its size and limited capabilities, and through external Brotherhood media promotion, the Hamas movement seeks to portray the war between two equal entities, in exaggerated political and military analyses, and this does not express the true Palestinian narrative - which is that we are an oppressed people suffering under the weight of the tyrannical and violent settler occupation. Due to Israeli propaganda, the image has transformed from an oppressed people to a terrorist people who do not deserve humanity, as the countries of the world condemn them and support the real culprit with the most powerful weapons and the latest military technologies.

Hamas presented an opportunity for Israel to unite once again behind a national cause; After a political division in Israeli society due to Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist policies, Netanyahu took advantage of the attacks by Hamas members that resulted in killing and kidnapping inside Israeli settlements and camps, to lead an international campaign to eliminate Hamas in Gaza, and thus obtained political and military support that he will use to save himself politically by continuing his perpetration. For his crimes and violent wars against the innocent residents of the Gaza Strip, which Hamas left without the slightest means of defense, this brings me to the next point.

Hamas proudly and boldly declares that the “Al-Aqsa flood” did not happen suddenly, but rather was the result of years of work and planning, and they did not make any efforts to help the people and secure their basic needs. So where are the components of resilience for a people isolated from medicines, food and drink? Why haven't enough been built and stored for the people for a month or two? There is no excuse for breaking the siege openly. Whoever is able to bring in materials to build his military and missile machines can also bring in medicines and foodstuffs and store them in multiple places to strengthen the steadfastness of the people who have been left alone by the Hamas leadership to suffer from the scourges of war currently, as they have suffered in the past.

Where is Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza? Why didn't he appear and announce the operation himself? Why are there no statements issued by him about what Hamas did? We have heard about the differences between Hamas factions and their orientations towards Iranian agendas in the region. Was Yahya Sinwar assassinated before the operation to ensure its implementation, only for his assassination to be announced after the end of the war? Will leaders close to him be assassinated by leaking their locations and whereabouts to ensure the elimination of his movement in Gaza during the conflict?