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| Copyright AP Photo/Hatem Ali |
NEWSLINE PAPER,- The Gaza Strip has suffered greatly from the recent increase in hostilities between Israel and Hamas; Palestinian medical officials have reported at least five fatalities from Israeli bombings on the southern city of Rafah. Two small children who were cruelly taken too soon in the midst of the fighting were Sham Najjar, six, and Jamal Nabahan, eight.
Together with Israeli tank shelling in central Gaza that killed four additional people, the airstrikes in Rafah have made the humanitarian situation in the area worse. Gazan families are dealing with the loss of loved ones while their houses and neighborhoods are being bombarded nonstop.
With almost daily air raids aggravating the already terrible situation, Rafah, where over half of Gaza's population has sought refuge, has suffered the most from Israel's military operation. Perched on the Egyptian border, the city has emerged as a focal point of the fighting, attracting attention from around the world and demands for caution from the US and other countries.
The October 7th attack on southern Israel, orchestrated by Hamas, claimed the lives of almost 1,200 people, the most of them civilians. This is the source of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. Further raising tensions in the area were the hundreds of people who were kidnapped and held captive in addition to the fatalities.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, there have been an astounding 34,000 Palestinian deaths and tens of thousands more wounded since the conflict began. About two thirds of the victims have been women and children, whose toll from the violence has been especially terrible.
Despite the mayhem and destruction, attempts to negotiate a ceasefire and stop the carnage have failed. Both sides are still firmly planted in their positions; Israel is retaliating with airstrikes and ground offensives while Hamas keeps firing rockets into Israeli territory.
The world community has demanded that hostilities end immediately and denounced the death toll among civilians in reaction to the growing violence. In concert with other nations, the United States has made statements calling on Hamas to free the hostages it is holding in Gaza and supporting a peaceful end to the war.
Innocent people continue to suffer the worst of the violence in spite of these diplomatic initiatives. Children lose their right to an education and a normal childhood, families are compelled to leave their homes in quest of safety, and hospitals are overrun with the number of victims.
The more the fighting goes on, the more urgent it is to have a real ceasefire and resume talks to deal with the fundamental problems causing the bloodshed. After years of hardship and suffering, the people of Gaza deserve safety, tranquilly, and the chance to start over. A dedication to mutual respect and understanding as well as communication and diplomacy are the only ways that the region may see long-lasting peace.
(Newsline Paper Teams)