Israel continues its fierce bombing and blockade of the Gaza Strip, undeterred by the repeated calls by world leaders for an end to the war and easing the suffering of over two million people of Gaza. Israeli forces have killed more than 62,000 Palestinians in their two years of campaign. With the catastrophic humanitarian situation unfolding in the Strip, the Israeli campaign has become a war for extermination of the Palestinian people.
Even amid efforts by the mediators for a ceasefire and Hamas’s agreement to the proposed truce plan, the Israeli government is escalating its military offensive in the territory. Its defence minister yesterday approved a plan for the conquest of Gaza City. The move came as mediators awaited an official Israeli response on their latest proposal to halt the war.
French President Emmanuel Macron slammed the move, saying Israel’s “military offensive” to conquer Gaza City “can only lead to a complete disaster for both peoples.” He said the Israeli plan “will drag the region into a permanent war”. The German government said it “rejects the escalation.” Israel also continued its strikes on the ground in Gaza, killing at least 25 people across the territory yesterday.
The new proposal agreed by Hamas envisages a temporary ceasefire for 60 days, during which a number of prisoners and hostages will be exchanged, along with the repositioning of Israeli forces and the intensification of humanitarian aid entry according to the terms of the agreement.
The proposal came amid intense efforts by mediators including Qatar to end the aggression on the Gaza Strip. Qatar has been in constant contact with the United States, Egypt and other countries to help broker an agreement that sees halt to the war and increased delivery of humanitarian aid.
In another escalatory move, Israel has approved another major settlement project in the occupied West Bank. The settlement Israel wants to build just east of occupied Jerusalem, would effectively cut the West Bank in two, undermining hopes for a two-state solution. The international community must come together to enforce a peaceful two-state solution that guarantees establishing a viable Palestinian state on the basis of June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
