In response, Israel has intensified its military operations across the Gaza Strip. This comes in the wake of a surprise attack by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on October 7, 2023. This improvised first wave led to the killing of around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the kidnapping of 251 hostages. Unfortunately, the conflict has escalated into a grave humanitarian disaster. For almost 11 weeks, Israel has waged a brutal, punishing siege on Gaza, cutting off food and medical support.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) greatly intensified their operations in Gaza on Thursday. In fact, an estimated 100 more people have died as a result, bringing the death toll in the ongoing war to over 53,000 since it started, of which most are women and children, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reports. Despite increasing international condemnation of its blockade, Israel insists that the measures are designed to push Hamas to release hostages.
Humanitarian Concerns and International Reactions
Thousands of UN officials and other highly credible international organizations have decried the blockade. They contend that it constitutes a breach of international law and the use of starvation as a method of warfare. Today, over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza live under horrific conditions, with food, fuel, and medicine running out. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees roughly calculated that at least 436,000 people have been driven out since March.
Donald Trump just proposed a different way forward on the crisis that we think is at least worth considering, calling for the creation of a “freedom zone” in Gaza. He called for U.S. leadership to help address the crisis, understand the realities of a world starving, and work to provide help and hope.
“I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good, make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone.” – Donald Trump
“We’re looking at Gaza. And we’re going to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving.” – Donald Trump
“We are destroying more and more homes; they have nowhere to return to. The only inevitable outcome will be the desire of Gazans to emigrate outside of the Gaza Strip.” – Benjamin Netanyahu
Military Operations and Strategic Goals
There are many military aspects to Israel’s latest campaign. They have brought enormous firepower to bear in a methodical drive to capture strategic strongholds in Gaza. The IDF repeatedly stresses that these operations are aimed at the principal objectives of war. So are their aims—getting hostages released, overthrowing Hamas.
“IDF troops in the Southern Command will continue to operate to protect Israeli citizens and realize the goals of the war.” – Israel Defense Forces
These military tactics used by the Israeli military have caused massive destruction in all of Gaza. The conflict has already led to alarming levels of civilian casualties and displacement, raising concerns over potential long-term ramifications for the region.
Our recently launched Gaza Humanitarian Foundation can be a part of that support. Backed by both the U.S. and Israel, it seeks to make aid deliveries into Gaza more efficient. Jake Wood, executive director of the foundation, indicated that Israel has agreed to allow some food into the region prior to the operationalization of this mechanism later this month.
Ongoing Challenges and Future Prospects
Yet, with all of these efforts, the humanitarian crisis continues to escalate at an alarming rate—DIRECTLY ENDANGERING CIVILIANS. As humanitarian organizations and others from around the world keep insisting that lifting the blockade is critical, these opposing narratives have both sides firmly sticking to their guns. The Israeli government continues to prioritize military objectives, while completely sidelining humanitarian concerns. At the same time, Palestinians desperately need humanitarian aid as violence continues to heighten.
International observers continue to be concerned as tensions stay high across the region. The threat of even greater escalation hangs over the entire situation as both military action and humanitarian demands develop in tandem. It’s a complicated and fast-changing situation, with no easy resolution on the horizon.
