Israel -Gaza conflict completes 2 weeks with no respite or ceasefire

Surinder  Oberoi

New Delhi, Oct 20: It has been two weeks since armed Hamas militants attacked Israeli border towns killing 1300 Israeli civilians and soldiers and kidnapped around 200 including women and children. The Israeli troops since then have not only sanitised the area but besieged the Gaza and continued periodical airstrikes killing around 4,000 Palestinians and destroying hundreds of Hamas positions in Gaza.

In one of the latest air strike attacks, an Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the primary Palestinian Christian denomination, reported that Israeli forces targeted the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City, where both Christian and Muslim residents who had been displaced from their homes had sought refuge.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned this act, stating that “targeting churches and their institutions… constitutes a war crime.” The Saint Porphyrius Church, dating back to the 12th century, is situated near the Al-Ahli hospital.  As of now, there has been no immediate comment from Israel.

The United Nations Humanitarian Affairs office said more than 140,000 homes – nearly a third of all homes in Gaza are partially or completely damaged.

On additional fronts outside of Gaza, the situation remains tense. Israeli forces are amassing near Gaza, anticipating a potential invasion, but conflicts have also erupted in other regions. In Kiryat Shmona, the largest Israeli town near the Lebanese border, the defence ministry has ordered residents to evacuate to guest houses due to escalating clashes. These clashes at the Israel-Lebanon border, involving Hezbollah, mark the deadliest escalation since the full-blown war in 2006.

In the West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry reported 13 casualties, including five children, as a result of Israeli troops launching raids and airstrikes on the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarm. The West Bank is also witnessing some of the most severe clashes.

Observers are expressing concerns about the potential for the conflict to further spread. The Pentagon has revealed that a U.S. Navy warship in the northern Red Sea intercepted three cruise missiles and several drones launched by the Houthi movement in Yemen, potentially aimed toward Israel. The Houthi, like Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, receive backing from Iran, which has praised the attacks by Hamas on Israel, although it denies direct involvement in them.

Aid yet to reach Gaza: Efforts are underway to repair the bomb-damaged Rafah crossing into Gaza, with the hope that around 20 aid lorries waiting at the gates of the border may be able to enter, potentially today. Egypt has announced that it has opened its side of the crossing, but the timing for the Gaza side’s reopening remains uncertain.

Gaza remains under a blockade, with Israel preventing the flow of essential supplies, including water, electricity, food, and fuel, across its border. Israel has stated that it will not permit aid from its territory to reach Gaza until more than 200 hostages captured by Hamas are released.

Following negotiations, US President Biden secured a promise from Israel to allow some aid to enter Gaza from Egypt, with the condition that it is closely monitored to ensure none of it reaches Hamas. However, aid trucks are currently backed up on the Egyptian side of the crossing. Many of those seeking shelter in school buildings or camps are struggling to access the remaining supplies of drinking water.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is deepening, with approximately one million people displaced due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment, which claimed the lives of hundreds more people just yesterday.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is currently engaged in discussions in Egypt, and concerns are mounting over the potential expansion of the conflict. Earlier, during his meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Prime Minister Sunak concurred on the pressing need to facilitate the delivery of essential provisions such as food, water, and medicine to Gaza, with a shared objective of preventing further escalation in the Middle East.

UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, has reported the deaths of two more of its employees in Gaza, bringing the total to 16 casualties since the conflict began. The death toll in Gaza, as revealed by the health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra, stands at 4,137, including 1,661 children. Additionally, there are 13,260 people injured, and over 4,000 individuals remain missing. Furthermore, seven major hospitals and 21 health centres in Gaza are now out of service, with 46 medical team members killed and 23 ambulances destroyed. The situation in the region remains dire.