Israel says the siege of Gaza will not end until Israeli hostages are released

New Delhi: Israel’s Energy Minister, Israel Katz, has announced a stark ultimatum, insisting that Gaza’s enduring siege will only be lifted once Israeli hostages are released. In a social media declaration, Katz firmly asserted that restoring crucial supplies, including electricity, water, and fuel, would remain on hold until the “hostages” were freed.

He added, “Humanitarianism for humanitarianism. And no one will preach to us about morality.” This cutoff of supplies to Gaza was in direct response to the horrifying Saturday Hamas attacks.

The ongoing standoff has taken a catastrophic toll, with Palestinian health officials reporting a staggering 1,500 casualties in Israeli airstrikes, mirroring the 1,300 casualties on the Israeli side during the weekend attacks by Hamas. Further escalating the tension, the Palestinian militant group Hamas is currently holding at least 150 hostages in Gaza.

During the weekend’s deadly attacks by Hamas on Israel, at least 150 hostages were taken into Gaza. Since Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes began, more than 1,300 people have been killed in Gaza, and 400,000 have been displaced.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv and held a joint press conference with the Prime Minister, vehemently condemning the inhuman violence perpetrated by Hamas militants. During his visit to the country, Blinken pledged unwavering US support for Israel, stating, “You may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself, but as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to.”

Secretary Blinken, in his address, called on all those seeking peace and justice to condemn Hamas’ reign of terror, emphasizing, “Hamas has only one agenda – to destroy Israel and to murder Jews.” He also stressed the importance of taking precautions to prevent harm to civilians of every nationality.

Blinken expressed his gratitude to be in Israel during this “incredibly difficult” moment for the world, expressing empathy with the suffering families. He sombrely remarked, “I can’t look at the photos of the families killed… and not think of my children,” as he grappled with the unimaginable horrors, urging global understanding of the dire situation in the region.

Egypt Keeps Gaza Open Amid Missile Attacks

Amid escalating violence in the Gaza region, Egypt’s foreign ministry has called on Israel to halt missile attacks near the Rafah border crossing, citing operational difficulties. Despite these challenges, Egypt has confirmed that the border crossing remains open.

The Rafah crossing into Egypt is the sole gateway out of Gaza, but it had to be temporarily closed due to air strikes. Even when operational, the crossing’s capacity is limited, with a lengthy waiting list. In typical times, only around 400 individuals are processed daily.

The German Chancellor declared a ban on all Hamas activities in Germany

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressed parliament, vowing to take strict legal action against those who glorify Hamas, endorse violence, or engage in the desecration of Israeli flags. He also announced the prohibition of a pro-Palestinian group known as Samidoun, accusing its members of celebrating the killing of Israeli civilians by distributing sweets in the streets of Berlin’s Neukölln area. Chancellor Scholz firmly stated, “This is ghastly, this is inhuman. We will not tolerate hatred and incitement.” Additionally, Scholz declared a ban on all Hamas activities in Germany. While Hamas is already designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union, the UK, and the US, it does not have any official presence in Germany. Chancellor Scholz’s announcement extends the ban to include all associated groups and activities.

Is Hamas gaining or losing ground with this offensive?

The underlying reasons for the recent escalation are complex, with months of mounting violence between Israeli soldiers, settlers, and Palestinians in the West Bank. This unrest has seen a few armed settlers attacking Palestinian villages. Militants in the West Bank have targeted soldiers and settlers. This has led to repeated Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) intervention in Palestinian cities.

During the past week, there have been instances of Jews praying within the compound of Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City. This area, referred to as Haram al-Sharif by Muslims, ranks as the third holiest site in Islam, following Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. To Jews, it holds significance as the Temple Mount and is revered as the biblical site of the Jewish temple. Praying within the al-Aqsa compound is a provocative act, as Jews are typically not permitted to do so.

Hamas has labelled its ongoing offensive as “Operation al-Aqsa Deluge.” This escalation also takes place against a backdrop of a decade-plus-old blockade of Gaza by Israel and Egypt, which has brought considerable hardship to the region’s residents.

But with all these difficulties, no civilisation or society accepts organised attacks on civilians. Hence the majority of the world despite having sympathy for the Palestine cause has condemned Hamas’s inhuman action.

The majority of the analysts say the militant organization, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has suffered a significant loss of international respect due to its actions. Even countries and organizations that previously publicly supported Hamas are now reining in their comments, compelling many Arab leaders to denounce their brutal acts.

Some analysts believe that Hamas may have unwittingly paved the way for more moderate Palestinian factions to assume control in Gaza. If Hamas believed it would garner support from the Muslim world, their calculations appear flawed. The merciless targeting of civilians has instead led many nations to label them as terrorist organizations or draw comparisons with banned groups like ISIS.

Israel is poised to employ the full extent of its military might to quash militant activities, extending beyond Gaza to the West Bank and East Jerusalem and troops may stay there for several months. This escalation is anticipated to result in significant casualties among Palestinian militants and civilians and extensive destruction of homes and infrastructure.

If Hamas thought that hostage-taking could serve as a bargaining chip, their strategy seems misguided. Their actions have inflicted suffering on all Palestinians, providing the Israeli government with further justification to impose blockades, besiegement, and supply restrictions in the future.

Hamas’s support among ordinary Gazans?

Many Gazans simply yearn for a life free from blockades, recurrent wars, and conflict. They resent the restrictions imposed by Hamas and the constant fear that pervades their lives under the rule of the organization. While some sections are driven to take up arms by the despair and misery that define life in Gaza, they see militant action as the sole means of asserting themselves and striving for a better future. Hamas’s support has dwindled and remains largely untested since the last elections in Gaza in 2006. Surprisingly the West Bank remains tense but calm further showcasing the split within Palestine population.

Israel intelligence and ruling Political Party Scrutiny

Equally, analysts say that Israeli Intelligence will face scrutiny It appears that Hamas had methodically planned its recent offensive over several months, catching Israeli intelligence off guard. Israel maintains a robust surveillance apparatus over Gaza, with state-of-the-art equipment monitoring activities, communications, and daily life. This includes the use of drones patrolling the strip and human intelligence networks with informants embedded within the Palestinian community. The intelligence failure has temporarily eroded the Israeli public’s confidence in their government and the army’s ability to safeguard civilians.

Yet, as the journey toward peace and normalization takes its first tentative steps in the coming months, the future of Benjamin Netanyahu’s political career will come under intense scrutiny and questioning. Even though long-standing rivals Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz have put aside their bitter feud to establish an emergency government with the primary goal of addressing the deepening crisis involving Hamas.

Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis Deepens as ICRC Issues Stark Warning

A grim warning from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) underscores the dire situation in Gaza. The ICRC cautions that hospitals in the region teeter on the precipice of becoming makeshift morgues due to an acute power crisis. Gaza’s sole power station has ground to a halt due to fuel shortages, leaving medical facilities dependent on generators, which, in turn, demand a constant supply of fuel.

Previously, most of Gaza’s electricity was sourced from Israel, a lifeline severed in the wake of the recent Hamas attack. Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC’s regional director for the Near and Middle East, paints a harrowing picture of human suffering, branding it as “abhorrent.” He calls on all involved parties to take immediate action to alleviate the plight of the civilian population. The power outage jeopardizes the lives of newborns in incubators, elderly patients relying on oxygen, individuals undergoing kidney dialysis, and those in need of X-ray examinations, further exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has embarked on an intensive diplomatic effort, engaging with both regional and international leaders. This includes discussions with leaders from Arab countries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Iran Egypt, and several others. The primary objective of the United Nations remains centred on de-escalation, ensuring humanitarian access, and preventing further loss of life.

The international community, represented by the UN, persists in its endeavours to broker a ceasefire, create a humanitarian corridor and expedite immediate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, where the situation continues to be exceptionally dire.

There is a glimmer of hope on the diplomatic front. Talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia have commenced, offering potential relief for civilians. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman engaged in a phone call to discuss the Israel-Gaza conflict, signalling a remarkable shift in their historically hostile relations.