Early morning on 17th May 2021, Israel launched around 80 airstrikes on multiple areas in Gaza City following a barrage of rockets fired by Hamas on the southern part of Israel. Reportedly, Hamas has fired at least 3000 rockets at Israel in one week. The United Nations fears that this could turn into an uncontainable crisis if the fighting did not stop. The international community has been hoping that it does not lead to an all-out Israel-Palestine war.
New tensions have been rising among the century-old rivals through the month of May. These 5 facts show how Israeli forces attacking Al Aqsa Mosque gave Hamas an excuse to send a rocket towards Israeli settlements.
The missile defense system was able to protect most of the Israeli settlers, unlike Palestinians who were not under the same level of protection.
Casualties Raising Concern About Israel-Palestine War
According to reports, 10 people including 2 children were killed in Israel by the rockets from Hamas since Israel attacked Al Aqsa Mosque on 10th May. However, the death toll in Gaza was recently standing at 197 people, which includes 58 children and 34 women. Furthermore, about 1,230 have been injured, according to the Health Ministry run by Hamas. Israel on the other hand said that the dead also includes a lot of militants.
Israeli forces conducted a series of air attacks on several structures in Gaza City and said that their targets were individuals and buildings related to Hamas. They reported that they destroyed a tunnel system they thought Hamas was using. The tunnel collapsed and led to the death of innocent civilians.
Israel also bombed the houses of alleged Hamas leaders. It described that one of them belonged to the head of logistics and manpower for the group. The leaders were not at home but Gazan rescuers got some people to pull out from under the debris.
Voices have been rising about a potential Israel-Palestine war, urging the international community to intervene before it’s too late. Some advised the UK government to play a leading role in preventing a dire outcome. It might be due to its historic connection with the Israeli-occupied territories.
Situation in Gaza gets Bleaker
Israeli attacks on Sunday destroyed 3 buildings and killed dozens of people under the rubble. Israel sounded an alarm during the airstrikes, which was convenient for Israelis to scramble their way towards safe houses or shelters. Palestinians also tried to take shelter but due to their poor resourced, underdeveloped, and densely populated part of the land, they did not have many places to hide.
The UN also warned about the fuel shortages in Gaza, which could cause power losses in many facilities like hospitals. UN appealed to Israeli authorities for allowing it to bring in more supplies and fuel but Israel refused by saying it was not safe.
Last year, Israel said the same thing after bombing Gaza that it was targeting Hamas networks. Its attacks shut down the sole power plant in the city. Israel claimed that it has managed to assassinate 20 leaders of Hamas and dismantled most of their rocket production capabilities in Gaza.
Israel Bombs Media Building in Gaza
Israeli forces also destroyed the Al-Jalaa building in Gaza, which was home to many offices, apartments, and media groups like Al-Jazeera and Associated Press. Israel reportedly warned the owner of the building to evacuate everyone before firing 4 missiles and bringing down the building. The development sounded very fishy as Israeli forces targeted a media house when its atrocities were being uncovered globally.
Even the Human Rights Watch has declared Israel an apartheid state while advising it to ensure equal and just rights for Palestinians. Only a handful of media groups have aired Israel’s behavior with the Palestinians, otherwise, most of them have been sheer apologists. People have slammed these big media channels for distorting the facts about Israel’s aggression and painting the bad image of Palestinians.
Are There Any Chances of Ceasefire?
According to PM Netanyahu, Israeli attacks will carry on with full force for a longer time. Israel is planning to do as much damage as they can to Hamas. Local media reported that Hamas offered Israeli forces a ceasefire but Israel rebuffed that news. It intends to carry on the military attacks on Hamas while there is a global outcry over the fate of civilians if the Israel-Palestine war starts.
There was supposed to be a 15-member meeting between the high council but it produced no results. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) failed to come up with an agreement to resolve the Israel-Palestine war like situation. The US also could not help its strong ally in a diplomatic process.
Disappointed by the ability of UNSC, few countries including Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia have requested the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to hold a Special Session regarding the Palestinian issue. They reckon that Israel must be forced to comply with international law regarding the rights and safety of Palestinians.
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