Nine months after Israel’s assault on Gaza began, in retaliation for the Hamas atrocities of 7 October, the suffering has not ended. Gaza City is experiencing some of its heaviest strikes of the war. Health authorities in the territory say that 38,345 people have been killed. Save the Children warned recently that an additional 4,000 children are thought to be under the rubble, and 17,000 are unaccompanied or separated from their families. Surgeons say that Israeli-made weapons designed to spray large amounts of shrapnel are disproportionately harming children.
When Russia bombed a children’s hospital in Kyiv on Monday, the White House quickly rushed out a statement expressing Joe Biden’s widely shared revulsion. Yet no such declaration of sympathy has been made for victims of the Israeli strikes on or near four schools in Gaza where people were sheltering, carried out in just four days. The latest, on Tuesday, hit close to the gate of al-Awda school in Khan Younis during a football game. The Israeli military has blamed Hamas fighters or officials for using the sites as bases.
On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces urged all residents to flee Gaza City once more. Fewer appear to be complying this time; many, displaced repeatedly, are incapable of moving again and see little point, since no part of Gaza has been spared.
The intensification of attacks may be intended to put pressure on Hamas to reach a political deal. The US voiced “cautious optimism” over the prospect of progress in talks on Wednesday and Thursday, though previous positive assessments haven’t brought a breakthrough on a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Hamas has reportedly dropped its demand for Israel to commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing a deal. But while Israel’s military has stressed the need for a negotiated exit, Benjamin Netanyahu stands accused of stalling and derailing talks in an attempt to prolong his prime ministership. He proclaims that “complete victory” is close, though polling suggests that the majority of Israelis disagree and that they see the return of the hostages as the priority.
As the hunger crisis ravages Gaza’s population, the US has abandoned its aid pier – a pointless conscience-salver that merely diverted attention from the desperate need to restore prewar-level land deliveries – and continues to provide arms to Israel. It will resume sending 500lb bombs (though 2,000lb bombs remain on hold). It should not. The US’s recent security priority has been averting a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. But while the escalation has many causes, it is unlikely to end without a ceasefire in Gaza.
Britain’s arms shipments to Israel are a fraction of those provided by the US, but they too should be halted, given the staggering civilian toll. The general election made it plain that many in Britain, not only in the Muslim community, were alienated when Sir Keir Starmer’s initial line on the conflict made the party appear indifferent to Palestinian lives, though Labour later joined the calls for a ceasefire. It would be a small but welcome step if the new government drops a legal intervention at the international criminal court (ICC) that could delay a decision on whether an arrest warrant could be issued for Mr Netanyahu over alleged war crimes. The ICC, and international law more generally, must be bolstered, not undermined, to protect civilians whether they be in Ukraine, Gaza, or elsewhere.
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