The humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip has dragged on with no real sign of resolution. Despite international calls for both sides to stop the war, there is no sign that the humanitarian crisis will end anytime soon. Amid the prolonged conflict between Israel and Hamas, civilians in the Gaza Strip often suffer severe consequences, including deaths, medical shortages and infrastructure damage, and acute hunger. Since the outbreak of the war on 7 October 2023, the recorded death toll from both sides is approximately 1,200 Israelis and 34,700 Palestinians (BBC News, 2024). The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported 34,844 Palestinian deaths from the war, of which 4,686 were identified on 30 April as: 10,006 men, 4,959 women, 7,797 children, 1,924 elderly, not including more than 10,000 people reported missing or under rubble (Al-Jazeera, 2024).\
The conditions in Gaza are exacerbated by inadequate health facilities. Many medical personnel died, hospitals were destroyed and medicines are difficult to obtain amidst the massive Israeli military onslaught by land and air. According to WHO, as of 18 February 2024, 23 hospitals in Gaza are not functioning at all, while 12 others are only partially functioning and one hospital is barely functioning. Doctors from across Gaza told of how they were forced to operate on patients without anaesthesia, had to turn away patients with chronic conditions, and treated festering wounds with makeshift medical equipment (Cuddy, 2024). WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that around 9,000 patients in the Gaza Strip require evacuation for emergency treatment (Kompas.com, 2024).
The ongoing conflict has damaged or destroyed around 62 per cent of all homes in Gaza leaving more than one million people homeless and forcing 625,000 students in Gaza out of school due to the destruction of educational facilities (Al-jazeera, 2024). In addition, hundreds of water and sanitation facilities in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed since Israel began military action against Hamas, based on satellite analysis by BBC Verify (Detik News, 2024). The damage to the vital objects of Gazans is a series of heartbreaking sufferings caused by the unending conflict. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projects that by May 2024, famine will be imminent as 1.1 million people, or half of Gaza’s population, experience catastrophic food insecurity (IPC, 2024). This is due to the siege and imposing stricter controls on what can enter including food aid and the destruction of agricultural land by the Israeli army (Mathew, 2024). The tight control exercised by the Israeli military on humanitarian aid entering Gaza has worsened the conditions for civilians and turned Gaza into a horrific sprawling prison.
International Response
In response to the large number of civilian casualties, on 29 December 2023, South Africa filed a petition with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding alleged violations of the genocide convention by Israel, the verdict of which ordered Israel not to commit acts of genocide (BBC News, 2024). Several other countries have also reacted to this tragedy, such as Colombia, which declared the termination of diplomatic relations with Israel, Turkey, which suspended trade relations with Israel, and the repatriation of ambassadors from Jordan, Bahrain, Chad, Chile and Honduras. Although the United Nations (UN) regularly passes resolutions calling for conflict resolution and tension reduction, the implementation of these resolutions is often hampered by vetoes from permanent members of the Security Council. Studies by the PLO Negotiation Affairs Department show that since 1972, the US has used its veto more than 40 times to block resolutions that conflict with Israeli policies. This creates a paradox where an institution that is supposed to promote peace is hampered by the power politics of an influential state.
A new chapter of this conflict When 10 May 2024, the UN General Assembly held a vote to consider Palestian membership in the UN, the result of which out of 193 countries, 143 approved, 9 rejected and 25 others abstained (Kompas.com, 2024). At first glance, this is a breath of fresh air for those who want peace, but in reality, the escalation of conflict is increasingly concerning in the region. Civilians are increasingly being killed, starved, and frustrated by the unending conflict. Criticism from various parts of the world, both through state institutions, non-governmental organisations, and waves of citizen action, in fact shows no signs of ending Israeli military aggression in the Gaza Strip. The political and economic embargo against Israel cannot stop the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Amid protests from various countries over the atrocities of the war that occurred in the Gaza Strip, Israel is increasingly aggressively attacking areas where Gazan civilians depend on their lives. The Rafah region, which is the final destination of refugees in the Gaza Strip, was not spared by the Israeli military. A raid targeting a Hamas compound on Sunday, 26 May 2024, sparked a deadly fire that killed at least 45 civilians who had fled to the area (The New York Times). The situation in Gaza, which is constantly characterised by conflict and severe restrictions, not only demonstrates the complexity of geopolitics but is also a reflection of the international collective failure to address the humanitarian tragedy. Although the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees UNRWA is one of the dominant agencies sustaining the lives of around six million Palestinian refugees through the provision of school facilities, health, and other social services (Kompas.com), preventive action is much more needed to end the humanitarian crisis plaguing the Gaza Strip.
Ending the conflict in the Gaza Strip is a complex challenge that requires a multidimensional approach, including diplomacy, humanitarian aid and international co-operation. Immediate efforts by the international community include encouraging a long-term ceasefire and facilitating peace talks between the two sides. In this case, intervention is needed from countries with strong enough influence such as China and the US, which are Israel’s largest partner countries that occupy the top positions of the world’s economic and military powers. The need for increased humanitarian assistance to overcome the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, such as access to food, clean water, and health services is a fundamental thing that must be fulfilled immediately considering that within seven months since the outbreak of the war, people in Gaza have been living a very difficult day even to fulfil their primary needs. Therefore, the international community must collectively encourage Israel to immediately open access to humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip. Equally important, economic development efforts to improve the quality of life of Gazans, create jobs, and reduce poverty must also be carried out to ensure a decent quality of life for people who have been hit by prolonged war.
