For the sake of humanity, world peace, aggression in Gaza must stop
With Israel doubling up its air strikes with ground aggression, after the brutal Hamas attacks, the ongoing crisis in Gaza continues to take a heavy toll of the civilians including women and children. Israel’s actions are not only disproportionate but also fail to draw a distinction between the Hamas militia and ordinary civilians. What adds to the evilness of the situation is the indifference of the global leaders even as the egregious scale of bloodshed, displacements and the impregnable fortifications that have blocked aid to the besieged Palestinians have aroused world-wide outrage and condemnation. The UN Security Council resolution against Israel’s aggression was passed by 145 countries but was vetoed by the United States. India was among the countries that abstained from voting. The resolution, if passed, would have called for humanitarian pause or ceasefire to deliver lifesaving aid to millions in Gaza. Sadly, the silence of some of the major global powers is yet another indication that foreign policy is not guided by humanitarian needs but by mutual interests, hinging on military and economic might. This dashes to the ground the hopes of a meaningful intervention to restore calm in the area which is an immediate need to maintain peace in the region, ensure safety of civilian lives, and to prevent the escalation of the present crisis from spiraling out.
Undoubtedly, the attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7 were heinous in nature and deserve to be condemned in the strongest words. But the attacks in no way should give Israel the free license to pound Palestinians, particularly in the Gaza, to pulp in clear violation of all universally recognised principles of warfare. Such action is morally wrong. It is also counterproductive. Israeli state’s repression against Palestinians in the last few decades is an open secret. Rather than resolving the prolonged Israel-Palestine conflict, such suppression has aggravated the situation from time to time and been the cause of provocation, both in the past as well as in the recent Hamas attack. Israel’s method of dealing with Palestinians has also proved to be ineffective. The country has been building and perfecting its huge arsenal of military weapons and sophisticated surveillance gadgets to keep the Palestinians under control. Yet, despite use of pervasive technologies and repulsive military warfare, it was left unguarded when the well-planned Hamas attacks happened.
It is time for Israel to take a pause and understand that treading the same beaten path, in a more accelerated pace, will not resolve the issue. It would instead burn the whole house down with flames that may also spread beyond the territories of the region. It is expected of the powerful global powers also to think and act more responsibly so that they can apply immediate brakes to the horrifying bombings and military aggression in Gaza, and work towards searching alternate and more civilized means of resolving the Israel-Palestine issue. This vicious cycle of violence and bloodbath must end now.
