2023-12-08 18:50:00
On the fateful morning of October 7, the terrorist group Hamas launched an unprecedented, coordinated offensive against Israel, which marked the beginning of a catastrophe that remains alive two months later.
The day was inaugurated by the launch of hundreds of missiles, which, however, were really a distracting prelude to the real attack on the ground, which left more than 1,200 Israelis murdered and tortured, in addition to approximately 240 kidnapped.
The terrorist group entered Israeli territory, carrying the shadow of horror along its path and rekindling the anger of a country willing to go to the ultimate consequences without tiring until it guarantees the destruction of Hamas.
A few days later, on October 13, Israel ordered the evacuation of more than a million Palestinian civilians from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip; a warning that raised the concern of the United Nations (UN) about the “devastating humanitarian consequences” that were anticipated from the Israeli reaction.
“Israel’s initial intention was, first of all, to cut off the closest contacts that Hamas could have in order to continue launching rockets towards the south of Israel, some areas that are very close to the border with Gaza and, therefore, On the other hand, dismantle the entire operation of Gaza, in this case, Hamas and the Islamic jihad, in order to leave them as weak as possible,” explained international analyst Bryan Acuña to Teletica.com.
On October 27, Israel intensified its counterattack, with an increase in bombing and the beginning of a ground incursion into Gaza, resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries.
Along the way, Acuña adds, Israeli troops “have made some attempts to dismantle the tunnels” and also “disarming some places where they (Hamas) have stored weapons.”
That same day, the UN General Assembly held an emergency meeting on Gaza, which, in the afternoon, left a draft resolution of the crisis, led by Jordan, approved by 120 countries and rejected by 14.
The resolution includes a call for an “immediate, lasting and sustained humanitarian truce,” as well as the “immediate and unconditional release” of all captive civilians, among other things.
The provision, which is not binding, was flatly rejected by Israel, which assured that it would not stop its military operations until Hamas was destroyed and the hostages freed.
Almost a month later, with the eyes of the international environment focused on the dramatic situation and the intervention of countries such as the United States, Egypt and Qatar, a truce was forged between the combatants, in exchange for the release of hostages and prisoners.
The truce, which began on November 24 and ended on December 1, with several extensions in between, allowed the release of 110 hostages, exchanged for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
The international analyst stated that Israel has indicated that, if there is a ceasefire under current conditions, this would help Hamas regroup and the flight of some of its leaders. Acuña added that one of Israel’s main objectives in the war is to eliminate the leaders who manage the terrorist group inside Gaza.
The Israeli counteroffensive has left, to date, more than 15,000 dead on the Palestinian side, of which 40% were children, according to data published by the UN.
On December 6, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the United Nations Charter.
This article, which has not been invoked in several decades, states that “the Secretary General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter that, in his judgment, may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”
According to what was published by the UN, in the letter sent to the Security Council, the Secretary General pressures to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe and reiterates the call for a ceasefire.
Acuña pointed out that this will increase pressure on Israel, but he doubts that it will move towards a resolution, since the Council is made up of 15 countries, of which there are five permanent members, including the United States, France and Great Britain; all these allies of Israel and who could veto the proposed measure.
Although the war has lasted for two months, the analyst assures that it is not outside of what could be foreseen.
“It was understood, from the beginning, that military operations were going to extend for a time. The first objective, which was to somewhat mitigate the impact in northern Gaza, near the border with Israel, has been achieved to some extent; We have even seen that when the ceasefires have been broken, barrages of rockets have continued to be fired towards Israeli territory, this has not stopped. The issue has spread more than necessary, but the operations are still valid today,” said the expert.
The expert added that, over the next few days, Israel will most likely continue dismantling “as much as it can” of the tunnels that Hamas has built and will try to rescue more hostages.
Acuña also sees it possible that “the bombings will decrease,” but maintaining the land military part: “There are going to be peaks in which there is going to be a lot of violence.”
Likewise, the specialist indicated that the conflict will probably extend for a few more months, perhaps with some humanitarian pauses, but in a dynamic of escalation-relative calm-recrudescence.
“In short, here the damage to civilians on both sides is an issue that, undoubtedly, every time an escalation like this occurs, we have to regret it,” concluded the international analyst.
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