"Everyone is filled with fear"
In the heart of the Middle East, the city of Gaza continues to be the epicentre of a prolonged crisis. Over the past few days, the Israeli military has launched a ground attack on Gaza, with the support of the United States, a move that has been met with widespread international condemnation.
The ground attack has been denounced by a large number of countries, including France and Canada, as a destructive campaign that no longer has any military logic. The French government, in particular, has labelled it a destructive campaign. The Canadian government has qualified the attack as horrible, amplifying the humanitarian crisis, and putting the release of hostages at risk.
The UN Human Rights Council-mandated commission has concluded that the Jewish state has been perpetrating a genocide in Palestinian territory since 2023. The independent international commission of inquiry on the Palestinian territory has declared that Israel is responsible for the genocide committed in Gaza. The commission concludes that Israel has an intent to annihilate, in whole or in part, the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip.
The UN report also indicates that more than 70,000 people have fled the city of Gaza in recent days, including 10,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition, according to UNICEF. The mass forced displacement of families from the city of Gaza is a deadly threat to the most vulnerable, as stated by UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram.
Protesters, including family members of the hostages, have gathered outside Benjamin Netanyahu's residence, with police intervening to maintain order. The ongoing conflict has left 49 Israeli hostages in captivity for 711 days now.
Among the displaced are many Palestinians who are heading south in a massive human wave along the coast. Ahmed Ghazal, a resident, told Agence France-Presse that he can hear the cries of many people trapped under the rubble.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media that "Gaza is burning" as the offensive began. However, no official announcement of Hamas's capitulation has been reported. Israeli officials, including General Staff Chief Ejal Zamir, have emphasized ongoing military efforts to defeat Hamas and have not indicated any surrender or relocation of the organization.
The commission's report has been rejected by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs as biased and lying. Yet, the criteria for the crime of genocide, including killings, serious attacks on physical or mental integrity, conditions of existence leading to physical destruction, and measures aimed at preventing births, appear to be met according to the commission.
The International Court of Justice, the highest UN tribunal, has been seized since 2023 with a genocide complaint brought by South Africa. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has reminded that it is not within his mandate to legally determine genocide.
In the midst of this ongoing crisis, a retired professor, Houchang Hassan-Yari, suggests that this new attack probably reflects Israel's desire to strike a major blow and put an end to Hamas. However, the future remains uncertain, as the conflict continues to take a heavy toll on the innocent civilians of Gaza.
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