The Israeli government is determined to continue the military campaign against the Palestinian militant group “Hamas”, emphasized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Meanwhile, the representative of “Hamas” called for escalation on all fronts in a televised address this week.
We don’t see any progress
Such announcements do not give hope that a solution to the war will be found soon, admits Josi Mekelbergs, associate researcher of the prestigious think tank “Chatham House”, in a conversation with the LTV program “Pasaules Panorāma”.
“As we can see, the war in Gaza has been going on for more than six months and there is no solution in sight – it threatens to drag on for a very long time.
While the population is suffering greatly, “Hamas” has not been defeated, the hostages have not been released, and we do not know how many of them survived. At the same time, we do not see any progress towards a political solution.”
In the Gaza Strip, Palestinians mourn the death of loved ones in an Israeli strike
Photo: AFP
Also, there is no indication that Israel has given up on the plan to launch an offensive in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, where thousands of civilians are currently taking refuge.
“Such an operation would lead to further violations of international humanitarian and human rights, as well as the risk of death, injury and displacement on a large scale – further serious crimes for which the perpetrators must be held accountable,” warned Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Concerns about civilian casualties
A mass grave containing more than 300 bodies has been discovered at a hospital in the southern Gaza city of Hanyounis, Gaza civil defense officials told CNN. Israeli forces withdrew from the area earlier this month. At the same time, CNN states that it is impossible to verify these claims.
“The High Commissioner is appalled by the destruction of An Nasser and Al Shifa Medical Complex and the discovery of reported mass graves in and around these facilities. He calls for an independent, effective and transparent investigation into the deaths,” Shamdasani said.
The US State Department has also reacted to the news about the discovery of mass graves.
“We have seen these reports and they are incredibly troubling, and we are in contact with the Israeli government about this. I don’t have any specific information,” said US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.
“The US is certainly extremely frustrated with the death toll in Gaza, the lack of humanitarian aid, the possible famine. There’s no doubt about that. On the other hand, Israel is an ally of the US, and the US is not going to reduce its support to the point where Israel is vulnerable to an attack like the one carried out by Iran ,” Meckelberg concludes.
Military aid is not the only leverage the US can use to put pressure on Israel. Meckelberg points out that the USA could also change its veto policy in the UN Security Council. For example, on the issue of the recognition of the Palestinian state.
“Because of the close relationship between Israel and the United States, the United States can use various pressure points. It is another question if and when it is ready to do so.”
Tensions have also increased in the West Bank
Since October 7, when “Hamas” brutally attacked Israel, there has been more violence not only in the Gaza Strip, but also in the occupied West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces carried out a raid there last week, in which several Palestinians were killed.
It has been reported that the United States plans to impose sanctions on one of Israel’s military units for alleged human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. This has been sharply criticized by several Israeli officials.
“I thank them for the budget positions, including the last one that was just announced. But Israel is a democratic country. It has a government, it has an army. There is a hierarchy, and I think that sanctions against a particular entity – whether it is justified or not , I didn’t go into it because we are dealing with it ourselves – it is not the right way to deal with the State of Israel,” believes Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s security cabinet.
Israelis criticize the failure of the Netanyahu government to release the hostages
Iran has also added fuel to the fire, which recently launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel.
“The fact that we are witnessing an escalation between Israel and Iran is worrisome not only for these two countries, but also for the region and even for many other countries,” Mekelberg argues.
There have been widespread protests in Israel in recent months. The demonstrators are demanding new elections and an immediate agreement on the release of the hostages.
“The fragmentation of Israeli society, the protests, whether it’s against the so-called judicial reform or the government for not taking responsibility for October 7 and for the way it’s conducting the war. What really hurts very, very much people, is that there is still no agreement on how to get the hostages back.
There is no longer any faith that the Netanyahu government and the prime minister himself are negotiating honestly and openly for the release of the hostages. Many find it unforgivable,” Meckelberg concludes.
Also, the limited access to the Gaza Strip often means that obtaining information is difficult. In early April, the Israeli parliament supported the so-called “Al Jazeera” law. It empowers the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Communications to temporarily shut down foreign media networks operating in Israel and confiscate their equipment if they are deemed to be causing real harm to national security.
This decision, along with the fact that foreign media have no access to Gaza, raises concerns about how much we know about what is happening there. This was also emphasized by the EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Jozeps Borel.
CONTEXT:
On October 7, 2023, “Hamas” carried out a massacre in Israel, murdering around 1,200 people, the absolute majority of whom were civilians. About 250 more people, including women, children and old people, were taken hostage by the terrorists and taken to the Gaza Strip.
Israel declared martial law in the country and launched extensive air and artillery strikes, as well as a ground operation against Hamas targets in the group’s controlled Gaza Strip, as well as stepped up military operations in the West Bank.
So far, more than 33,000 people, mostly women and children, have died in the Gaza Strip, according to data from the Hamas-run Health Ministry, and the UN has warned of the growing threat of famine there.
