As Israel continues its operation in the Gaza Strip, the situation of the civilian population is increasingly coming into focus: US Secretary of State Blinken called for “much more” humanitarian aid – and criticism of Israel’s actions is becoming increasingly louder.
Israel’s ground troops continue to advance in the Gaza Strip. The army reports that it has once again killed terrorists who were involved in the attack on Israel on October 7th. At the same time, more and more people from the north are apparently making their way to the south of the Gaza Strip. The fighting there is less intense than in the north.
Gray areas: Built-up areas in the Gaza Strip
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is traveling to the region again. She visits the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian territories and Israel. It is also about scenarios for the time after the war. On Saturday she will meet Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, which controls parts of the West Bank.
Abbas today signaled his willingness for the autonomous authority to take over the government in the Gaza Strip. But he linked this to the prospect of an independent Palestinian state. However, the prospects for a Palestinian state have deteriorated in recent years with the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. However, countries like Germany continue to stick to a two-state solution.
Baerbock for international Protection
Baerbock once again emphasized the rights of the civilian population today. With a view to the future of the Gaza Strip, there should be “no solution over the heads of the Palestinians,” she said. A crucial point is “that there should be no occupation of Gaza, but rather international protection as best as possible.” In addition, the Palestinian population must not be driven out of the Gaza Strip and its area must not be reduced.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also focused today on the situation of civilians on site. During a visit to New Delhi, India, he praised the “progress” but said “much more needs to be done to protect the civilian population and provide them with humanitarian assistance.”
Sharp criticism from the UN relief agency UNRWA
Just on Thursday, the US government announced that Israel had agreed to observe a four-hour daily ceasefire in the north of the Gaza Strip. On the one hand, this should give the people there the opportunity to escape and, on the other hand, enable the delivery of humanitarian aid supplies. Israel only wants to consider a general ceasefire if Hamas releases the remaining hostages, who are said to still be in the control of the terrorist militia.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), took a harsher tone towards Israel. He said: “Levelling entire neighborhoods is not an answer to Hamas’ monstrous crimes.” The Israeli authorities’ current course will “not bring the peace and stability that both Israelis and Palestinians want and deserve,” but threatens to create a new generation of Palestinians “who will likely continue the cycle of violence,” he said Lazzarini in an opinion piece.
He further revealed that more than 100 UNRWA staff have been killed since the war began. Lazzarini said he was “shocked” by this number. “UNRWA is mourning, the Palestinians are mourning, the Israelis are mourning,” Lazzarini continued. To end the “tragedy,” a “humanitarian ceasefire” is needed. Among the UNRWA colleagues killed were “parents, teachers, nurses, doctors, aid workers.” UN emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths said on X (formerly Twitter) that the news made him deeply sad. The killed UN employees were “flames of hope and humanity”.
20 of 36 hospitals out of operation
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, also sharply criticized Israel’s actions: He sees the attacks on the Gaza Strip as a possible violation of international law. “The intensive Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip, including with high-yield explosive weapons in densely populated areas, is clearly having devastating humanitarian and human rights impacts,” Turk said. Given the predictably high number of civilian casualties and the massive destruction of civilian objects, the UN has “serious concerns that these attacks are disproportionate.” Türk called for Israel’s military operation to be subject to an independent investigation.
The UN Commissioner focused on the destruction of hospitals. Attacks on clinics made it more difficult for the population to seek help there. Türk also criticized Israel’s demand to evacuate hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip. This is tantamount to a “death sentence”. The clinics in the south of the coastal strip are already completely overloaded.
There is a lack of medical equipment and electricity
The World Health Organization (WHO) also warned that the hospitals that were still in operation could only work in emergency mode. There is a lack of medical equipment and electricity to care for patients. According to the WHO, only 16 of a total of 36 clinics are still operating in the entire Gaza Strip.
Norway also sees a violation International law of war
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also accuses Israel of violating international law of war because “civilians have the right to protection,” said the head of government in an interview with Norwegian radio station NRK. The courts must clarify whether these violations also constitute war crimes.
Like Türk, Gahr Støre also raised the question of whether military action in the Gaza Strip can provide Israel with security in the long term. “The children who survive this hell in Gaza will not be forgiving in the future,” he warned, adding: “This is a war that, in my opinion, is being waged with a very strong military logic, but without a clear political one Idea how this should end.”
Hundreds of fighters from the Islamist terrorist militia Hamas entered Israel on October 7th and committed countless atrocities against civilians. According to Israeli information, around 1,400 people were killed and around 240 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip. In response to the attack, Israel declared war on Hamas and has been attacking targets in the Gaza Strip ever since.
With information from Jan-Christoph Kitzler, ARD Studio Tel Aviv