Despite truce talks, Isreal have lauched a retailatory strike to Gaza after Hamas rocket attack kills three Israeli soldiers near one of the main crossings used to deliver aid into Gaza
Subsequent Israeli strikes in the southern Gazan city of Rafah have reportedly killed at least 12 people.
Israel’s military warned early on Monday morning for Gazans sheltering in parts of Rafah to evacuate.
Backstory
This latest violence follows two days of talks with mediators in Cairo, Egypt.
The mediation was said to be a failure as both Israel and Hamas are refusing to yield to the grounds for the truce, but discussions are expected to resume on Monday.
The truce proposal is to involve a 40-day pause in fighting, allowing the release of hostages in Gaza and a number of Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails.
Hamas have said that it views the current proposal in a “positive light”, but would only assent to it if the ceasefire deal would be permanent and not temporal bringing an end to the war.
However, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected proposition for permanent ceasefire.
In his words “The state of Israel cannot accept this [Hamas’s demands], we are not prepared to accept a situation in which the Hamas brigades come out of their bunkers, take control of Gaza again, rebuild their military infrastructure, and return to threatening the citizens of Israel in the settlements surrounding the southern mountains, in all parts of the country.
“This will be a terrible defeat for the state of Israel,” he added.
Expanded humanitarian zone
Early on Monday, the Isreal Defense Force said it was encouraging residents in Rafah’s eastern neighbourhoods to make their way toward an “expanded humanitarian zone.”
“The expanded humanitarian zone includes field hospitals, tents and increased amounts of food, water, medicine and other supplies.
“In accordance with the approval of the government, an ongoing situation assessment will guide the gradual movement of civilians in the specified areas in eastern Rafah, to the humanitarian area,”
Relevance
The main reason for peace talks between Isreal and Hamas is to prevent the escalation of humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
- However recent attacks on Rafah shows the failure of peace talks, further endangering Palestinians who have taken shelter after fleeing fighting in northern and central parts of the strip.
- However a decisive step by US military to evacuate Palestinians signifies their adherence to International humanitarian law
- International humanitarian law states that civilians should not be targets of attack in a war and measures should be taken to protect civilians from the aggression. Hence the reasons for humanitarian zones
- Humanitarian zones are areas that are excluded from attack and must not face aggression from the war
- It is also the duty of warring parties to provide humanitarian aid for civilians
- They are to ensure that there is adequate supply of humanitarian aid such as food water and other basic supplies for civilians within the humanitarian zones
Bottom Line
Although conflicts and wars disastrous, there are requirements that must be followed during war, these are principles of international humanitarian war and are required to be complied with in the course of war for the protection of civilians and other persons not in combat.
