Unrelenting Clashes Persist in Gaza Strip Amidst UN Call for Ceasefire
Once again, an air raid alert echoed in the heart of Sderot and other southern Israeli towns on a Wednesday. The Israeli army reported that the majority of rockets fired by Hamas from the Gaza Strip had been intercepted. In retaliation, the Israeli military conducted an airstrike aimed at a militant cell in Shejaiya, a neighborhood in the city of Gaza located in the northern Gaza Strip, which was in the process of firing rockets towards Israel.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shared that 115 Israeli soldiers had been killed throughout their offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza, with ten of them perishing in battlegrounds in the north of the Palestinian territory on Tuesday alone. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, at least 50 Palestinian lives were lost as a result of Israeli airstrikes. The attacks affected various locations within Gaza, including Shejaiya, Nusseirat, Deir al-Balah, Rafah, and Chan Junis, where Israeli authorities suspect Hamas leaders and hostages they are holding are located.
Following a 153-to-10 vote in favor of a non-binding resolution at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, advocating for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the conflict in the Gaza Strip continues unabated. The USA and Israel opposed the resolution due to concerns that it would contribute to Hamas's gains. Several countries abstained from voting, such as Germany, expressing concern for the torment of Palestinians and the hostages still being held by Hamas.
50 days after Hamas initiated attacks against Israel on October 7, which is the most significant assault since the country's inception, approximately 1,200 people perished, half of whom were civilians. Hamas continued to hold more than 130 hostages, a situation that has elicited widespread international concern and calls for action. In response, Israel launched a series of air raids on targets within the Gaza Strip and initiated a ground offensive, pledging to dismantle the Hamas organization and liberate the hostages.
The death toll among Palestinians, according to estimates made by Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip, surpassed 18,400, with a significant proportion of women and children among the casualties. US President Joe Biden asserted in Washington on Tuesday that the majority of the world supported Israel's actions following the Hamas aggression, but remained concerned about the safety of innocent Palestinians.
Biden stressed that Israel's current government, regarded as the most conservative in Israeli history, does not embrace a two-state solution. In his opinion, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must modify his stance on this issue. In fact, Netanyahu mentioned that he harbored differences in opinion with the USA regarding the steps to take immediately following the termination of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, and he would not repeat the mistake of Oslo.
The Oslo Accords, signed in the USA in 1993, granted the Palestinians limited self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Subsequently, the dispute in the Gaza Strip has persisted, with its complex and multifaceted nature defying simple solutions.
