The Israel/Palestine relationship and conflict is delicate, thorny and difficult, given the small land space that the parties have to contend with, their historical and ideological differences and the awkward terms and trends of their co-habitation.
The dilemma is not helped by the cross-play of international and local power blocks supporting one party or the other and often overlooking equity, fairness, international morality and probable outcomes.
The ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas started with a coordinated surprise offensive on Israel on Saturday, October 7 (2023). The attack began with a rocket barrage of at least 3,000 rockets launched from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip against Israel, reports Wikipedia.
Approximately 2,500 Palestinian militants breached the Gaza–Israel barrier, attacking military bases and massacring civilians in neighbouring Israeli communities. At least 1,400 Israelis were killed, including 260 people who were massacred at a music festival.
Unarmed civilian hostages and captured Israeli soldiers were taken to the Gaza Strip, including women and children.
The surprise attack was met with Israeli retaliatory strikes, and Israel formally declared war on Hamas a day later.
Israel began clearing Hamas forces from affected areas and conducting airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, which have killed 2,339 Palestinians more than 700 of them being children.
The United Nations reports that around one million Palestinians, nearly half of the population of Gaza, have been internally displaced.
Fears of a humanitarian crisis were heightened after Israel cut off food, water, electricity, and fuel supplies to Gaza, which had already been blockaded by both Egypt and Israel.
Israel ordered the evacuation of 1.1 million Gazans, while Hamas called on residents to stay put in their homes and set up roadblocks.
At least 44 countries have denounced Hamas and labeled its conduct as terrorism, while countries across the Middle East called for de-escalation and have attributed the root cause to Israel’s decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Many Arab states called for de-escalation. Iran, which reportedly assisted Hamas with planning the attack, threatened Israel to immediately stop the war on Gaza.
The United States deployed two aircraft carrier battle groups to the Eastern Mediterranean, the United Kingdom declared it would send warships and aircraft, and Germany began supplying military aid to Israel.
While reprisal attacks by Israel against Hamas would be justified, questions surround the intensity and targets of some of their bombardments.
Israel said it has dropped 6,000 bombs in six days on the besieged enclave, one of the world’s most densely populated areas.
Israel has also cut off electricity, food and water to the densely populated enclave, pushing the healthcare system to the brink and fueling a humanitarian crisis.
Gaza has further been deprived of electricity, water, food and medicine and the territory’s hospitals are unable to treat the wounded and it would seem that the general populace, especially women, children, the aged and the infirm are bearing the brunt of the onslaught more that the militants who are the presumed targets.
International rights experts are raising the alarm over the indiscriminate nature of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza that has killed 2,300 Palestinians and destroyed schools and hospitals while the besieged enclave remains under a blockade.
Activists say the Israeli government’s decision to cut power, water and fuel supply to the enclave amounts to collective punishment of its entire population of 2.3 million people and violates international laws.
Israel says no water and fuel will be restored until Hamas returns Israeli captives taken on Saturday following the deadliest attack inside Israel carried out by the Palestinian armed group.
At least 1,200 Israelis have been killed and 3,000 injured after Hamas fighters entered Israel using paragliders and went on a gun rampage in neighbourhoods close to the Gaza border fence. An estimated 150 people have been taken as captives by the Palestinian fighters.
According to media reports, in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Biden held back from urging Israel to exercise restraint during its military offensive.
“We uphold the laws of war,” said the US president in a speech that same day.
But what, precisely, are the laws of war? And are they being upheld?
According to Human Rights Watch, the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is regarded as an “ongoing armed conflict” under international humanitarian law, governed by Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Convention, supplemented by the Additional Protocols of 1977.
These laws of war forbid collective punishment of a population. At their most basic level, they say warring parties must: Distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Preserve civilian infrastructure, such as homes, schools and hospitals.
Give prior warning of attacks if civilians are present in targeted locations.
Refrain from harming medical staff and depriving medical facilities of electricity and water.
Allow the passage of impartial humanitarian aid.
Leave civilians and captured combatants unharmed. Murder, cruel treatment, torture and the taking of hostages are forbidden.
Power imbalances between parties are not taken into account, meaning that Hamas and the Israeli government would be judged solely on the basis of their actions.
While the Hamas attack on Israel and the killings and kidnapping of Israeli citizens cannot be justified, much of the response from Israel would appear disproportionate and contrary to international conventions.
It would also appear that these actions could cause more harm than good by sowing the seeds of anger, bitterness and enmity in the hearts of young survivors and some sympathetic distant observers across the world.
It would also appear that some of the larger and more influential groups in the committee of nations have failed to apply their voices to the relief of innocents, especially, children, women, the aged and the infirm caught up in the merciless assault on Gaza.
Where then lies international morality?
