NUNZIUM

The protracted conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to exacerbate a severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The death toll has reached over 20,600 Palestinians, and nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced. An Egyptian peace proposal, developed in collaboration with Qatar, has yet to gain traction from either party.

The proposed resolution involves a phased hostage release and the establishment of a Palestinian government to oversee the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. However, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has refrained from commenting directly on the proposal, indicating a resolve to persist with Israel's offensive.

The humanitarian conditions in Gaza are deteriorating. According to a UN food security agency, around 500,000 people, or a quarter of households, are grappling with "catastrophic conditions". The entire population, approximately 2.2 million people, is facing acute food shortages. The World Health Organization's Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has voiced concerns over the escalating patient load at Al-Aqsa Hospital, following one of Israel’s deadliest air strikes.

In response to the crisis, the UN Security Council passed a resolution to implement "extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip". However, the resolution stopped short of demanding an immediate ceasefire. It also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, a contentious point in ongoing negotiations. Despite this, only 10% of the required food is currently reaching Gaza, states the World Food Programme.

Adding to the complexity of the situation, Hamas authorities allege that Israel attacked the Rafah crossing, resulting in four deaths, including the director of the recently reopened Kerem Shalom crossing. This incident has impeded talks for a new ceasefire in Egypt, with Hamas declining to agree to a partial hostage release in exchange for a partial ceasefire.

Journalists covering the conflict, like Al Jazeera's Samer Abudaqa, have also lost their lives. The Israeli army has justified attacks on civilian infrastructure, including United Nations-run schools and hospitals, to target Hamas fighters. This has led to a significant number of civilian casualties.

The crisis has been further intensified by Israel's enforcement of a "full" blockade on Gaza following the October 7 attacks, severely limiting access to food, water, electricity, and fuel. Though some aid was allowed through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in early November, aid groups maintain that it is insufficient. On December 17, Israel reopened the southern Kerem Shalom border crossing for aid trucks, pledging to transfer "200 truckloads per day of food and humanitarian aid".

A vote on a sustainable cessation of hostilities in Gaza by the United Nations Security Council was deferred due to US objections to the draft resolution's wording. The US expressed its inability to support a reference to a “cessation of hostilities”, but indicated potential acceptance of a “suspension of hostilities”. The latest draft by the United Arab Emirates condemns all acts of terrorism and demands the unconditional release of all hostages.

The crisis has exposed rifts between the United States and Israel. President Joe Biden warned that Israel was losing international support for its campaign against Hamas and criticized Israel’s hardline government, referring to it as the “most conservative government in Israel’s history.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected American plans for post-war Gaza, suggesting a role for “some kind of civilian Palestinian authority.”

The escalating conflict and humanitarian crisis demand urgent global attention. The cost of inaction is measured in human lives, and the situation in Gaza is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of war and the pressing need for peace.