Translated by Alessandra Fumagalli
What is going on between Israel and Palestine?
Introduction
An unthinkable event until a few hours ago has become extremely real in a very short time lapse. At dawn of Saturday, 7th October, a simultaneous land, sky, and sea was unleashed by the Gaza Strip, taking different cities in the South of Israel by surprise. This initiative was led by Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist movement. Several missiles have been thrown towards Israel, while Hamas military men crossed the Israeli border.
The causes of this crisis, that could be the worst faced by Israel, can be identified in the local dynamics of a lasting conflict, that has been always neglected by the international politics.
The number of deaths registered on October 9th, 2023 is 900 Israeli people and 687 Palestinian people. These data are going to increase, as the Israeli troops, engaged in their operation to free some settlements in the Gaza Strips, continue to discover civilian victims.
Background
The situation in the West Bank has been characterized by a lasting tumultuousness for at least 18 mesi. Each night, the Israeli police enter the cities, breaking down the doors of the Palestinians’ houses without any specific accuse, justifying this detention as “precautionary” e depriving the detained of legal representation. During 2023, more deaths have been caused by Israeli actions than the year before, involving whether police men or civil people.
The Gaza Strip’s inhabitants stated to be confined in an overcrowded space, with a lack in work opportunities, limited access to the health care and without any possibility to leave the zone. This situation is made even more difficult by the lack of the electricity. The Gaza Strip represents one of the most populated areas in the Mediterranean area, with more than 2 million people who live in a 42 km strip of land, from which it is extremely difficult to go away. Gaza is now ruled by Hamas, a group that has already used violence against Jewish people. The lack of a political solution, negotiated by Israel and Palestine has led to an increase in the tensions. Essentially, it seems that the peace’s concept between Israel and Palestine has become obsolete.
One of the most tragic event during the attack was a rave party, an electronic music festival happening in the desert near the border with the Gaza Strip. This event attracted several European, Italian, American and Israeli participants. Hamas’ military men knew that there would be a rave party, and therefore an high amount of civili people in the same place. During the festival, that hosted thousands of young people, 260 of them died. It is important to underline that this civil deaths aren’t to be considered as accidental. Hamas’ targets weren’t military men. They have previously attacked the military bases, killing soldiers who were there, in order to take some civili people as hostage and use them as human shield in view of an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli’s reaction
Israeli’s reaction was not long in coming, the government announced the beginning of a new war against Hamas and stated that the enemy will face serious consequences. The Israeli forced responded with an operation called “Iron Swords” against the Gaza Strip.
Israel imposed a complete siege on the Gaza Strip, interrupting the supply of food, electricity and fuel. The tanks are going towards the Gaza Strip, whose first aim is to get rid of the Hamas’ military men in the Israeli territory. Meanwhile, Israeli continues to carry intense bombardments on the Gaza Strip, according to what the Palestinian authorities referred, the number of deaths is about 687, while injured people are more than 2,000.
The International Community’s reaction
Western countries condemned Hamas’ attack and underlined Israeli’s right to defend. The United States are rapidly supplying new equipments and resources, munitions included. Nevertheless, the majority of the western declarations don’t mentions the several civil victims in Gaza during the air attacks of this year.
Meanwhile, China, Turkey, African Union, and United Arab Emirates asked for a rapid deescalation of the conflict and the return to peace meetings, supported by the International Community. Saudi Arabia asked for the termination of the hostility and criticized the Israeli occupation, without showing support for the Palestinian offensive. Qatar asked for moderation by both parts, underlining Israeli’s responsibility. The Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi praised the action of the Palestinian armed group, supporting the “self defense of the Palestinian country” against “the Zionist regime and its supports, responsabile for the instabilities in the region”.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, declared from Moscow that the meetings for a two-state solution, ensuring the peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine, are the only way to follow once the conflicts end.
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Mondo Internazionale APS - Riproduzione Riservata ® 2023
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L'Autore
Valentina Ruaro
Sono laureata in Scienze Internazionali e Diplomatiche presso l'Università di Bologna e attualmente sto frequentando il corso di laurea magistrale in Studi sulla Sicurezza, l'Intelligence e la gli studi strategici, con un percorso accademico che include prestigiose istituzioni come l'Università di Glasgow, l'Università di Trento e l'Università Karlova di Praga.
Nel campo accademico, collaboro come autrice per Mondo Internazionale, affrontando temi fondamentali sul ruolo delle organizzazioni internazionali, con particolare attenzione all’Unione Europea e alla NATO. Inoltre, per coinvolgere un pubblico più ampio, produco anche contenuti su Instagram per MI Post. Attualmente, sto svolgendo un tirocinio presso il NATO Defense College a Roma, dove approfondisco le mie competenze nell'ambito dell'educazione, della sicurezza e della difesa.
Ho maturato esperienza nel settore della ricerca lavorando per l'European Army Interoperability Centre di Bruxelles, concentrandomi sull'interoperabilità degli stati membri e sul ruolo esterno dell’UE.
I miei interessi ruotano attorno alla geopolitica, alla CSDP dell'UE, alla difesa NATO, con un focus geografico sulla regione Euro-Atlantica e il Medio Oriente, in particolare la Siria.
Motivata dall'empatia e da una determinazione incessante per il cambiamento, sono pronta a continuare a plasmare conversazioni e azioni nel campo della sicurezza internazionale e della difesa.
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I hold a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Affairs from the University of Bologna, and I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Security, Intelligence, and Strategic Studies. My academic journey includes esteemed institutions such as the University of Glasgow, the University of Trento, and Charles University in Prague.
Within the academic realm, I collaborate as an author for Mondo Internazionale, addressing pivotal topics concerning the roles of international organisations, particularly focusing on the European Union and NATO. Additionally, I engage a broader audience by creating content on Instagram for MI Post. I am currently interning at the NATO Defense College in Rome, further honing my skills in the education, security, and defence sectors.
I have gained research experience while working at the European Army Interoperability Centre in Brussels, where I focused on member states' interoperability and the EU's external role.
My interests revolve around geopolitics, EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), and NATO defence, with a geographical focus on the Euro-Atlantic region and the Middle East, specifically Syria.
Driven by empathy and an unwavering determination for positive change, I am prepared to continue shaping discussions and actions in the field of international security and defence.
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