- As residents in Gaza pick up the pieces after a wave of Israeli strikes, experts and advocates say Palestinians are being “collectively punished” and facing an “ongoing genocide”
After nearly two months of relative calm since a ceasefire began in Gaza, residents are again picking up the pieces after Israeli airstrikes killed more than 400 people on Tuesday.
Militant group Hamas and Israel have accused each other of breaching the truce, which had offered some respite from war for the more than two million residents of Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the strikes are “only the beginning” and vowed to attack Hamas with “increasing force.”
Now, experts and humanitarian organisations say Gaza residents have been left in a humanitarian crisis with nowhere to go, and may never recover.
Is a ceasefire off the table?
The United Nations emergency relief coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said the “modest gains” made during the ceasefire had been destroyed.
Hamas, which still holds 59 of the 250 or so hostages Israel says the group seized in its October 7 2023 attack, accused Israel of jeopardising efforts by mediators to negotiate a permanent deal to end the fighting, but the group made no threat of retaliation.
Netanyahu said he ordered strikes because Hamas had rejected proposals to secure a ceasefire extension.
Access to food, water, and electricity is limited in Gaza. Source: AAP / Middle East Images/ABACA/PA
Dr Anas Iqtait, senior lecturer at The Australian National University (ANU), said he does not believe Israel has “any interest” in a ceasefire.
“While there have been some demonstrations in Tel Aviv calling for the Israeli government to reimplement the ceasefire and to negotiate the release of Israeli captives … the vast majority of the voting blocks in Israel are supportive of having a heavier approach towards the Palestinians in Gaza and to Hamas,” he said.
“The other side of this equation obviously is Hamas, and Hamas doesn’t have many cards at the moment.”
Iqtait said the bargaining chip Hamas holds at the moment is the remaining captives, who have been captive since the October 7 attack.
He believes Israel is now seeking for captives to be released without a ceasefire deal.
“The captives feature in Israel’s calculations, but they feature only through the armed confrontation with Hamas, so the return of the captives through fighting or negotiating while the fighting is ongoing.”
Alam Saleh, senior lecturer at the ANU’s Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, said he believed Israel’s actions were a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
“Israel did not only violate by launching strikes against the Palestinians and the Hamas itself, but also by stopping or refraining entering the humanitarian aids to the Gaza region,” he said.
“This is against international law and it violates not only the ceasefire but also human rights.”
He said he does not think there is any way to solve the conflict without comprehensive action from international communities.
“Decision makers in Israel will stay for many years, probably decades, continuing the same policies, and as long as there is no balance of power, they are allowed and they are able to do whatever they wish,” he said.
“And the problem is that the international community is just watching. So as long as there is no kind of a balance of power between Palestinians backed by the international community, this conflict will be continued.”
What does it mean for people in Gaza?
Some families fled their homes after their Israeli military ordered them to evacuate from what it said were “dangerous combat zones”. Those who remain in Gaza have limited access to food, water, and electricity.
Israel has also halted aid deliveries into Gaza for more than two weeks, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis.
In a statement, medical aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières said the people of Gaza are being “collectively punished”.
“In line with the tactics that the Israeli authorities have applied since October 2023, they have once again chosen to collectively punish the people of Gaza,” Claire Magone, general director for MSF France wrote.
“Palestinians in Gaza will simply not be able to withstand this, neither physically nor mentally. Their hopes of recovering at least part of their previous lives are being shattered.”
Saleh said Gazans have been deprived of food, energy, and clean water throughout the last year and a half.
“Some of them have returned to their homes, but now they have been asked again by Israelis to leave certain parts again,” he said.
“And it seems like this is going to be a humanitarian catastrophe.”
Iqtait described the situation as an “ongoing genocide”.
“The humanitarian situation is not bad, it’s dismal; there is absolutely no avenues for the humanitarian situation in Gaza to improve,” he said.
“The Gaza population obviously has nowhere to go; all aspects and access to life has been eroded by the Israeli attacks since October 2023.”
He said the humanitarian situation is catastrophic, and is likely to become worse due to Israeli attacks.
“All aspects of life have been destroyed intentionally, and systematically destroyed in Gaza.”
Israel has rejected previous claims it was committing genocide in Gaza, including in a recent UN report.
What does it mean for Ramadan?
The latest attacks have coincided with the holy month of Ramadan, the most sacred month of the Islamic calendar.
Ramadan signals a period of fasting and worship, during which Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise until sunset, pray, and give to charity. The month culminates with Eid al-Fitr, a three-day celebration.
Iqtait said while some rituals of Ramadan will continue, others will not be possible.
“People will continue to fast and perform their prayers and so on, but at the same time, all other aspects that we usually associate with Ramadan, are not going to happen in Gaza,” he said.
“There’s food shortages, very limited electricity supply, and now water is also being extremely restricted … so non-basic aspects of Ramadan will not exist in Gaza and Eid — which is the festival or religious holiday that happens after Ramadan — won’t happen in Gaza.”
What could happen next?
Following the strikes, Netanyahu suggested Israel’s attacks will likely intensify, and called on Gazans to move to safer areas.
“From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing force. And from now on, negotiations will only take place under fire,” he said.
“Hamas has already felt the blow of our arm in the last 24 hours. And I want to assure you: This is just the beginning.”
As Israel launched its operation in Gaza, its forces have pressed on with an operation in the occupied West Bank and Israeli jets have struck targets in southern Lebanon and Syria in recent days.
Iqtait said these operations could also lead to a humanitarian crisis in the West Bank.
“We are talking about mass humanitarian suffering that most likely will occur if the military operation that Israel is conducting currently in the Northern West Bank will expand.”
“So these two can go simultaneously and they will result in the absolute dismantlement of all Palestinian presence in the West Bank and Gaza.
“That is my worst-case scenario of what may happen over the next few weeks.”
@Sky News, with additional reporting by Reuters