Early on Saturday morning, the Palestinian armed group Hamas launched “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” (Uras et al., 2023) against Israel in the most serious escalation since their 11-day war in 2021[1]. Israel has vowed to eradicate[2] the militant Islamist group Hamas and is preparing for a ground offensive in Gaza. Israeli Defense Forces are some of the most advanced in the world, but there is potential that they might be caught up in a long-lasting urban warfare. ZAKA[3] (the Hebrew acronym for Disaster Victim Identification) and 360 National Rescue Unit [4] are Israeli non-governmental rescue and recovery organizations.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant: “Let me tell you, Mr. Secretary, this will be a long war; the price will be high. But we are going to win for Israel and the Jewish people, and for the values that both countries believe in.” (Remarks The Secretary of State, 2023)[5] The IDF ordered the Palestinian north to immediately evacuate to the South.[6] As of Monday, Israeli airstrikes have killed 2,750 Palestinians and wounded at least 9,700 [7],[8],[9]. A third of the casualties are children. As an interesting side note the Foreign Minister for the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi expressed China’s opposition to actions that harm civilians and violate international law.[10] Wang's statement is a poignant reminder of the need for situational de-escalation and a negotiated resolution. However, listen to this podcast[11] to provide context behind the PRC’s long-term reasoning.
There’s something which might be useful to understand. There’s a tremendous amount of bad blood has led to this conflict. From before the establishment of the State of Israel straight through to today there has been an intermittent low intensity conflict afoot. War crimes (assassinations, acts of terrorism, etc.) have been committed by parties on both/all sides. The whole world is likely to witness versions of a humanitarian crisis and hard to imagine bloodbath. The fog of war will sanitize portions of the carnage and the 24-hour news cycle has so numbed audiences to human tragedy the true extent of the catastrophe will be a historical footnote. We will all be sullied by this - how can one be so aware of something intimately immoral and not suffer a moral injury themselves?
Grenee 10.17.2023 18:08Hrs
[1] Allen, R. (2023, October 16). Israel faces potentially long battle against Hamas – DW – 10/17/2023. Dw.com; © 2023 Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/israel-faces-potentially-long-battle-against-hamas/video-67115380
[2] Walker, C. (2023, October 17). Israeli Defense Minister: Military Campaign in Gaza “Will Be a Long War” (Truthout, Ed.). Truthout.org; © 2023 Truthout. https://truthout.org/articles/israeli-defense-minister-military-campaign-in-gaza-will-be-a-long-war/
[3] Tol Staff (Ed.). (2023, October 9). Emergency group says 260 were slain by terrorists at rave, as families seek answers. Www.timesofisrael.com; © 2023 The Times of Israel. https://www.timesofisrael.com/emergency-group-says-260-were-slain-by-terrorists-at-rave-as-families-seek-answers/
[4] O’Neill, N. & Ghobrial, A. (2023, October 11). “Most of the people were dead,” volunteer medic in Israel reports, upon arriving to help. CTVNews | World; © 2023 Bell Media. https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/most-of-the-people-were-dead-volunteer-medic-in-israel-reports-upon-arriving-to-help-1.6597220
[5] Remarks The Secretary of State (Ed.). (2023, October 16). Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant After Their Meeting. Press Releases | Office of the Spokesperson; United States Department of State. https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-and-israeli-defense-minister-yoav-gallant-after-their-meeting/
[6] Ebrahim, N., Sharma, A., Tawfeeq, M., Hu, C., & Regan, H. (2023, October 13). Israel calls on 1.1 million Gazans to evacuate south in order UN warns is “impossible.” CNN World; © 2023 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/13/middleeast/israel-gaza-hamas-war-friday-intl-hnk/index.html
[7] The New York Times. (2023, October 16). Voices from Gaza. Feeds.simplecast.com; New York Times. https://feeds.simplecast.com/54nAGcIl
[8] Uras, U., Gadzo, M., Humaid, M., Shankar, P., Hatuqa, D., Stepansky, J., & Siddiqui, U. (2023, October 7). Israel strikes Gaza tower as death tolls jump after Hamas attack. Aljazeera; © 2023 Al Jazeera Media Network. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/10/7/israel-palestine-escalation-live-news-barrage-of-rockets-fired-from-gaza
[9] Abou-Ghazala, Y. (2023, October 16). They followed evacuation orders. An Israeli airstrike killed them the next day. CNN Investigates; © 2023 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/16/middleeast/israel-palestinian-evacuation-orders-invs/index.html
[10] Palmer, J. (2023, October 10). Where Does China Stand on the Israel-Hamas War? Foreign Policy | China Brief; © 2023, Graham Digital Holding Company. https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/10/10/china-israel-hamas-war-palestine-xi-jinping/
[11] The Spectator. (2023, October 16). “The mask has slipped” – Tuvia Gering on China, Israel and Hamas. Chinese Whispers [Podcast]; Web-only content Copyright © 2023 The Spectator. https://audioboom.com/channels/5028672.rss
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