Gaza’s Ground Invasion: Implications of Escalation Analyzed by The Guardian | Editorial

Already thousands of Palestinians have been killed as Israeli jets and artillery pound the Gaza Strip. The ongoing conflict, which began with a brutal attack by Hamas that resulted in the deaths of over 1,300 Israelis, is causing immense devastation to the coastal enclave. UN facilities have been targeted and damaged, journalists have lost their lives, and hospitals have been bombed. Israel has openly admitted to striking targets without warning, contrary to their previous practice. Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, has condemned Israel’s bombing and blockade as a vengeful and criminal policy.

With an impending ground invasion, many Palestinians are fleeing their homes in response to Israel’s demand that they relocate south of the Wadi Gaza riverbed. However, this order poses a significant threat to the lives of patients as most of Gaza’s hospitals are situated in the north. The World Health Organization has described the order as a “death sentence” for these patients. While temporary removal of civilians in war zones can be lawful, reports suggest that Egypt may receive a debt write-off if it accepts Gazan refugees, potentially making Cairo complicit in permanently displacing Palestinians from Gaza. The Norwegian Refugee Council’s Secretary, Jan Egeland, has stated that the evacuation order without safety guarantees or the possibility of return would constitute the war crime of forcible transfer.

There are concerns that Israel’s call for relocation is less about protecting civilian lives and more about creating diplomatic cover for Palestinian casualties. Diplomatic efforts have seemingly tempered Israel’s war plans, with some aid reaching southern Gaza. However, access to food, fuel, and electricity in the region remains inadequate. The bombing of civilians along a designated safe route, most likely by Israeli munitions, has eroded any confidence in a secure escape.

Israel has the right to defend itself, but international law only permits necessary and proportionate force in self-defense, not collective punishment. Recently, Joe Biden acknowledged that the vast majority of Palestinians were not involved in the massacres. Both the UK government and Labour also agree, refraining from condemning Israel’s plans or behavior. It should be possible to condemn Hamas and its actions as evil while also denouncing war crimes committed by Israeli forces. The number of Palestinian lives lost in Gaza in one week surpasses the casualties during the six-week conflict in 2014, with women and children comprising half of the fatalities. Unfortunately, some in Britain, unaffected by the conflict, choose to spread hate, resulting in a sharp increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents.

The situation has the potential to spiral out of control, demonstrated by Hezbollah’s bombings at Israel’s northern border and attempts by settlers to provoke war in the West Bank. A ceasefire is urgently needed. Hamas should release any hostages in their possession, as failing to do so may result in their leadership being targeted by Israel, potentially at a significant human cost. While the pain experienced by Israelis should not be undermined, an overreaction by the military will only deepen the animosity between the two peoples. The current path is a blood-soaked journey leading nowhere. Revenge knows no bounds, while justice is defined by recognizing those limits. Time will allow for a renewed search for better ways for Palestinians and Israelis to coexist.