Published: 15 January 2024 Author: Stefan Talmon
On 7 October 2023, Hamas and other terrorist groups launched an attack against Israel, during which 695 Israeli civilians, including thirty-six children, as well as 373 security forces and seventy-one foreigners were killed, some 3,300 wounded, and more than 240 abducted to the Gaza Strip. In response, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) conducted a massive military operation in the Gaza Strip in order to eliminate Hamas, return the hostages and ensure that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to Israel. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza as of 28 December 2023 at least 21,320 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza. Approximately 70 per cent of those killed were said to be women and children. In addition, 55,603 Palestinians had been injured and many more were missing. Of the 2.2 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, 1.9 million, or nearly 85 per cent of the population, were estimated to be internally displaced. According to the World Health Organization, out of Gaza’s thirty-six hospitals only thirteen were partially functional. There was an electricity blackout and warnings of famine. The UN Secretary-General reported to the UN Security Council that the ‘people of Gaza are in the midst of an epic humanitarian catastrophe before the eyes of the world.’ While acknowledging Israel’s right to self-defence, even close allies like Germany spoke of ‘unspeakable conditions’ in Gaza, called for humanitarian pauses in the fighting, and urged Israel to ‘resort to less intensive warfare’. (more…)