Israel launched a new attack on Gaza amid Netanyahu’s visit to the U
Military operations in Gaza escalated amidst heavy casualties and destruction shortly after the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States, which happened after deadly attacks by Hamas against Israel, raising tension and fueling an aggressive response from Israel.
The latest Israel airstrikes targeted an operational headquarters of Hamas and critical persons, killing a few Hamas deputy commanders. Further, strikes have expanded to Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, which signals a probable widening of the conflict. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that any escalation on the part of Hezbollah would mean severe consequences for Lebanon. The Israeli military is also planning for a ground assault into Gaza, with 300,000 troops placed along the Gaza border, which indicates that the conflict might further escalate.
The visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Israel underlined the international dimension of the conflict. He expressed solidarity with the state of Israel while pressing the need for protecting civilians in Gaza. But he also called for the international coalition fighting ISIS to turn its guns on Hamas as well—this relation thus shows a global concern for terrorism and regional stability.
The humanitarian situation has turned untenable; with over 1.4 million displaced, the infrastructure from one end of the Gaza Strip to the other is gutted. There is a severe strain on hospitals and health workers; at least 16 health workers have been killed on duty. Even the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee relief agency has not been spared, with 35 staff members killed, six in the last day.
John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said that the situation is “bloody” and “messy” because of the tangled nature of the ongoing conflict and the toll among civilians expected from it. The Biden administration supports Israel but appears to grasp the necessity of humanitarian pauses to allow in aid; in a recent call, Biden discussed regional deterrence with Netanyahu and showed disappointment with Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.
An essential point of the negotiations has been the freeing of those hostages, which include two elderly ladies from Israel and an American mother with her daughter, held captive by Hamas. It’s going to take many more hours of hostage talks due to a challenge provided by vast tunnel networks used by Gaza militants; therefore, the US government is urging Israel to hold off its planned ground assault.
The international community closely follows this situation, and the United Nations Security Council has come together to solve this crisis with forecasts of measures that could soften the conflict’s humanitarian impact by finding de-escalation channels. However, it is tough to reach a permanent cease-fire among ongoing hostilities.
