Israel’s renewed carnage on Gaza mocks at the one-week truce that was observed between the warring factions. With the truce’s expiration, Israel has and is continuing to drown Gaza with attacks by air, land and even by sea.
“It makes no sense to give food to somebody that will be killed the day after,” this statement, uttered by EU Foreign Policy Chief, Josep Borrell points to the glaring truth that renewed bombardment practically nullified the essence of the humanitarian pause.
The sad reality is that no place is safe in the besieged enclave at the moment. Israel is hitting Southern Gaza where they earlier ordered Palestinians to evacuate to.
The lives of civilians, aid workers and journalists alike are in peril.
The sight of destroyed buildings that once housed families, bodies retrieved under rubble, family members mourning their loved ones, as well as the stomach-churning stench of decomposing bodies stuck under rubble paints a very grim picture of the fate of Palestinians in Gaza.
Upon resuming the strikes on Gaza, the Israeli army published a map dividing Gaza into hundreds of small zones, saying that these individual areas will be used to notify Palestinian civilians of active fighting.
Israel’s military said that the map which divides Gaza into more than 600 zones, will enable residents “to orient themselves and understand the instructions, and to evacuate from specific places for their safety if required.”
The White House regards this as a move to reduce civilian deaths in Gaza.
“We believe they have been receptive to our messages here of trying to minimalise civilian casualties,” U.S National Security Council Spokesman, John Kirby said, noting the online publication of a map of places where Gazans could go to find safety.
Kirby averred, “There’s not a whole lot of modern militaries that would do that … to telegraph their punches in that way. So they are making an effort.”
However, Melanie Ward, the Chief Executive of humanitarian organisation; Medical Aid for Palestinians, said that Israel’s so-called Evacuation Zone Map for residents in Gaza is causing confusion and panic.
Ward noted in a post on X, “I cannot overstate the fear, panic and confusion that these Israeli maps are causing civilians in Gaza, including my own staff.”
“People cannot run from place to place to try to escape Israel’s bombs, nor does international law expect them to. What is being done is unconscionable,” Ward added.
According to reports, the map has a QR code which civilians are expected to scan to check if their house falls into one of the targeted blocks.
With extremely limited access to internet in the strip, it remains to be seen how residents in Gaza will be able to use such a system.
A Life For Another
Anyone following the ongoing war in Gaza can attest to the fact that the recently expired truce between Israel and Hamas ensured the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners as well as Israeli captives.
Israel has persistently ramped up nightly raids in the occupied West Bank, arresting a lot of Palestinians. It seems like for every Palestinian prisoner released, Israel arrests another.
At least 60 Palestinians were arrested overnight as Israeli forces stormed several areas across the West Bank, such as Jenin, Silwad, Jaffna, Jalazoun, Qalqilya and Hebron.
It is said that as a result of these raids, Israeli authorities have detained more than 3,500 people, bringing the total Palestinians in Israeli jails to more than 7,000. Majority of these people are held without charges.
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