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UNITED NATIONS, Dec 02 (IPS) – On November 27, a ceasefire agreement was agreed upon by officials for Israel, Lebanon, and a host of other mediating parties, including the United States. Yet even with this step towards peace, conflict and suffering continue in Gaza, raising questions of when – or how – a similar outcome can be achieved.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel is required to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah call off their forces from north of the Litani River. In the following days, relatively few violations were reported from both sides.
This ceasefire has generated considerable discourse from Palestinians and humanitarian officials on if a similar agreement can be reached between Israel and Palestine. Mohammed Nasser, a public relations worker and displaced citizen residing in Khan Younis, informed reporters of his anxiety surrounding Gaza’s future. “We had hoped that this agreement would be comprehensive and include the Gaza Strip, or at least a deal would be reached on a ceasefire and end the ongoing suffering here. There are great concerns here in the Gaza Strip that the ceasefire in Lebanon will become a reason for expanding military operations here in the Gaza Strip,” said Nasser.
On November 28, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told reporters that a ceasefire would only be negotiated once all hostages were returned and Hamas operations were eradicated in Gaza. Sa’ar opined that “right now, it is very hard” to imagine a ceasefire agreement that both parties can agree to, but that he believes that “eventually peace is inevitable”.
Israel’s Minister for Food Security Avi Dichter told reporters that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will likely occupy Gaza for “many years”, while also managing the distribution of humanitarian aid in the enclave for the foreseeable future. “I think that we are going to stay in Gaza for a long time. I think most people understand that will be years in some kind of West Bank situation where you go in and out and maybe you remain along Netzarim ,” Dichter said.
Shortly after news of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon broke, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) issued a statement in which they opined that this yields a “glimmer of hope” for Palestine. However, it is also acknowledged that conditions remain dire in Gaza.
As the winter season approaches, humanitarian organizations grow more concerned about the deterioration of living conditions in Gazan displacement shelters. Repeated bombardments and evacuation orders in the past week have resulted in numerous civilian casualties and exacerbated rates of displacement. Additionally, humanitarian aid continues to be obstructed by increasingly restrictive mandates in northern Gaza.
Although fighting has started to slow down in Lebanon following the ceasefire, bombardments only persist in the Gaza Strip. On November 29, Palestinian medical sources informed reporters that at least 40 civilians were killed in an overnight attack, many of whom were residing in the Nuseirat displacement shelter, located near the central regions of the enclave. A few hours later, another airstrike was reported by medics in Beit Lahiya, located in northern Gaza, which killed at least 19 civilians.
On November 28 Israeli tanks entered northern and western regions of Nuseirat, only to back down the next day. This resulted in further casualties along the northern and southern regions of the enclave. A spokesperson for the IDF told reporters that this was done to “strike terror targets as part of the operational activity in the Gaza Strip”. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported on November 28 that the continued hostilities over the past few days have brought the total death toll in Gaza to 44,363 civilians over the past 13 months.
In an earlier incident on November 24, the IDF issued an evacuation order for a residential area in the Shejaiya suburbs, forcing thousands of civilians to flee on donkey carts and rickshaws, with some carrying their children in backpacks as they ran from their homes. According to a statement from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), there have been approximately 1.9 million internal displacements from recent evacuation orders.
According to an UNRWA social media post shared to X (formerly known as Twitter), out of 91 attempts to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to northern Gaza between October 6 and November 29, 82 have been denied and 9 have been impeded. Current conditions have been described as “beyond miserable”, as heavy rains and lowered temperatures ravage displacement camps. Thousands are currently residing in overcrowded and unsanitary camps while being exposed to cold rains, without access to blankets, mattresses, and waterproof shelters.
Shortly after his visit to Gaza, Ajith Sunghay, the head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, briefed reporters on the deteriorating conditions in the shelters. He states that living conditions are “inhumane”, with significant food shortages and sanitary complications. Many are residing in partially destroyed buildings and have contracted diseases. Additionally, social order has begun to disassemble due to a fierce daily struggle to survive for thousands of civilians.
“The breakdown of public order and safety is exacerbating the situation with rampant looting and fighting over scarce resources. As prices of the meagre commodities that are available have skyrocketed, people have been shot and killed by unknown armed men while trying to buy simple sustenance such as bread. These are not isolated incidents. The anarchy in Gaza we warned about months ago is here,” says Sunghay.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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