Israeli Strike on Gaza Displacement Camp: A Tragic Toll

Borni Dutta

The Israel-Gaza conflict has brought about a very bad situation in which Israeli warplanes bombed a refugee camp in the south of Gaza. At least ninety Palestinians were killed and three hundred others wounded during the bombings.

It is believed that Khan Younis houses many Palestinians who have escaped different parts of Gaza that are under attack. According to Nasser Hospital, the terrible scenes included toddlers who had lost both their legs and were double amputees plus kids who were paralyzed and did not obtain medical care.

Israeli Strike on Gaza Displacement Camp: A Tragic Toll

Rafe Salama, the leader of Khan Younis brigade and Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ military wing were amongst the important Hamas commanders targeted by the Israeli strike. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister approved this operation while insisting that no hostages were being held captive in that area. However, this does not seem to have been true since the hospital wards at Kuwait and Nasser became overwhelmed with victims-mostly women and children.

Mohammed Deif has long been an Israeli target. In the 1990s, Deif planned successful suicide assaults. He survived several assassination attempts due to frequently changing his location. This ongoing evasion which has made him a symbol for Hamas as Israel considers him as its number one enemy.

During the hostage-release negotiations and delicate ceasefire talks, an airstrike took place. The USA, Qatar, Egypt and other international mediators have been working to facilitate a peace agreement or possibly releasing of hostages. Deif’s possible death was a major triumph for Israel but there was also concern that it could harden Hamas’ position on negotiation with its adversaries. Families of the hostages in Israel are now putting pressure on the government through protests so that it can secure their release.

Instantaneous and wild reaction all over the world followed this strike. The European Union as well as countries like Jordan, Egypt and Qatar condemned it and urged parties involved to recognize their responsibilities while observing International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Prominent human rights organizations and medical charities alike have expressed great concerns on what happened calling for immediate humanitarian assistance provision as well as truce declaration.

A number of Israeli airstrikes and ground actions formed part of a wider Gaza military campaign which culminated into this one. At least 29 people died after an airstrike near Khan Younis that targeted a school being used as a shelter by displaced persons. During a football game at school ground, the incident occurred. According to witnesses, after a powerful explosion, bodies and debris filled the area.

It is estimated that the Israeli evacuation order recently given affects about 250,000 Palestinians from a large part of Khan Younis and Rafah administrative areas. The UN is worried because it has been approximated that every Gaza person has changed home at least once after the onset of conflict in October 2023.

Many people have been displaced due to the ongoing conflict. Only thirteen out of thirty-six hospitals in Gaza are working properly; there is an acute lack of basic facilities such as clean water and sanitary utilities.

Humanitarian situation is dire. Israeli military claims that it uses aimed weapons and tries to avoid hurting civilians. In addition, Hamas has been using houses as their bases for attacks. The killing is considered a genocide by the attackers alleging Israeli soldiers have been attacking them without any justifiable reason.

The ongoing war calls for human intervention and end of hostilities in Gaza. It’s going on now with all the implications, political and humanitarian which are grave and uncertain on both sides.

16-07-2024

Borni Dutta is a student of Communication & Journalism, Gauhati University

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