In the peace-finding world, Gaza always witnessed bloody shades. The Gaza Strip was pounded last months by hundreds of Israeli blows from sea, land, and air, while the enclave’s militant Hamas rulers ignited hundreds of rockets into Israel.
It’s the 4th round of significant conflict between Israel and Hamas since 2008, with the tiny enclave’s more than two million Palestinian inhabitants bearing the brunt of the losses and the destruction.
The latest eruption of destruction has raised the specter of another devastating war and once again drawn international consideration to the impoverished, densely populated strip.
Here’s a glance at the Gaza Strip and its place in the Middle East dispute.
A Narrow Coastal Strip
Gaza, sandwiched between Israel & Egypt, is just 25 miles (40 kilometers) long and six miles (10 kilometers) wide. It was a member of the British-ruled Palestine Mandate before the 1948 war encompassing Israel’s creation when it came below Egypt’s control.
Huge numbers of Palestinians who fled or were pushed from what is now Israel ended up in Gaza, including the refugees and their descendants now number 1.4 million, considering more than half of Gaza’s residents.
Israel captured Gaza, along with the West Bank also East Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all 3 territories to form their future state.
The 1st Palestinian intifada, or uprising, exploded in Gaza in 1987 — the same year Hamas was founded — and later expanded to the other occupied territories. The Oslo peace method in the 1990s established the Palestinian Authority and gave it bounded autonomy in Gaza and areas of the occupied West Bank.
The Hamas Takeover
Israel removed its troops and Jewish settlements from Gaza in 2005, after a second and far more violent intifada.
The following year, Hamas won a landslide triumph in Palestinian elections. That triggered a power fight with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party, climaxing in a week of clashes in 2007 that left Hamas in control of Gaza.
Hamas has done small in the way of forcing Islamic law on Gaza, which was already very conservative. But it has shown no mercy for dissent, arresting political opponents and vigorously suppressing rare protests against its rule.
The militant group has continued firmly in power through three wars and a 14-year blockade.
The Blockade
Israel and Egypt commanded the crippling blockade after the Hamas takeover. Israel says it’s needed to keep Hamas, including other militant groups, from importing arms. Rights groups said that a blockade is a form of collective punishment.
Simultaneously with years of misrule and Hamas’ long-running feud with the Palestinian Authority, the closures have devastated Gaza’s economy, and unemployment flutters at around 50%, power outages are frequent and the tap water is terribly polluted.
Palestinians face heavy movement constraints that make it challenging to travel overseas for work, study, or to visit family. Therefore they often refer to Gaza as the world’s largest open-air prison.
The War
Hamas & Israel have fought three wars & several more minor battles. The most critical so far was the 2014 war, which lasted for 50 days and shot some 2,200 Palestinians, more than half of them civilians. 73 people were slaughtered on the Israeli side.
Israel’s airstrikes and attacks into Gaza have left vast swaths of destruction, with entire neighborhoods decreased to rubble and numerous forced to shelter in U.N. schools and other facilities. Israel says it makes every attempt to avoid civilian casualties and accuses Hamas of using Gazans as human shields.
Palestinian militants have fired numerous rockets into Israel. The vast bulk is intercepted by Israeli missile defenses or land in open areas, but they sow widespread fear moreover can bring life to a standstill. Their range has steadily increased in contemporary years, with some striking as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, major metropolitan areas.
This year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) launched an investigation into possible war crimes in the Palestinian regions. It is expected to examine the actions of both Israel & Palestinian militants in the 2014 war.
The ICC has also shown concern about the latest violence.
At Present
Recently, Biden discussed Gaza with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and the White House said reports of moves toward a ceasefire were "encouraging".
Additionally, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric verified that U.N. Middle East Envoy Tor Wennesland is in Qatar, adding: "We are actively involved with all the appropriate parties for an immediate ceasefire."
Notably, Israel stated that a media building damaged by one of its airstrikes in the recent Gaza conflict was being used by the Hamas militant group to try to jam its Iron Dome missile defense system.
The Jala Tower housed the offices of Associated Press (AP) and Al Jazeera.
Moreover, the AP news agency said it had not seen evidence to support Israeli allegations that militants were operating there.
Conclusion
The motive of war is to create destruction only. It can’t be the solution. The Gaza attack left everyone in shock. Children are the ones who are worst affected by the incident. Scarcity of food, shelter, and care is what they are facing right now. Still, the destructive war hasn’t come to an end.
Political issues are making their way towards the huge loss of economy and families. The authorities claimed that they didn’t want the conflict but the circumstances forced them to rely upon war only.
Written by - Radhika Gandhi
Edited by - Akanksha Sharma
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