Since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, more than 4,000 people have died in the conflict.
More than a million people have been told to leave northern Gaza, probably in preparation for an impending ground onslaught. Its military planners appear to be preparing the depopulation and reoccupation of at least part of a territory home to around 2.3 million people, nearly half of whom are children, and the majority of whom are descended from people driven from their homes before to and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
The shock and horror of Hamas atrocities in southern Israel have only increased as the full magnitude of the bloodshed has become clear. Young revelers were massacred as they fled a music festival; babies were murdered with their parents; and the very young and elderly were taken prisoner. This atrocity may not be an existential crisis for Israel, as the Yom Kippur war appeared to be 50 years ago.
A defense spokesman talks of focusing on “damage, not accuracy,” while the Israeli defense minister claims that his country is fighting “human animals” in Gaza. A security official claims that Gaza will be a “city of tents.” Israeli bombing has destroyed entire neighborhoods, frequently without the previous few minutes’ notice. Families in Gaza have not experienced the constant nature of this anxiety, despite the length of the battle. Over 1,100 Palestinians, including at least 326 children, have died.
Depopulating Gaza would be blatantly cruel and against the international community’s rules. Israel must proceed cautiously. Israelis must realize that punishing Palestinian citizens collectively, in violation of international law, would not give them the security they seek. A ground invasion of Gaza and the forced displacement of 1.1 million people won’t deliver security or peace.
The international community, particularly big nations, should attempt to pressure the two sides to end hostilities since a cease-fire is urgently needed. It won’t be feasible to broker peace by laying blame because of the lengthy history of hostility and strife between the two parties.
Israel’s decision to respond in kind to Hamas’ huge, previously unheard-of land, sea, and air attack on southern and central Israel on Saturday that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Israeli people may be justifiable. However, that won’t end the conflict. Instead, it will make it worse.
Israel is going to live. We will vanquish Hamas. It’ll take some time. Future discomfort is anticipated. And it will have a long-lasting effect on Israeli society. Both parties should adopt the philosophy of “live and let live,” and the international community should persuade them to put an end to the violence once and for all.
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