Palestinian Human Rights under Siege; A Global Concern
The Ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine traces its origins to the late 19 century. In 1947, The United Nations adopted Resolution 181, commonly known as the Partition Plan, with the aim of dividing the British Mandate of Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states. On 14 May,1948, the establishment of Israel, leading to the onset of the first Arab-israel war.
In 1949, Israel got victory and the conflict resulted in the displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinians, and the territorial division into three main regions: the state of Israel, The west Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Subsequently, tensions escalated between both countries. Following the 1956 Suez crisis, Six Day War, Yom Kippur War, first Intifada, second intifada and most recent 7 October incident when Hamas Militants projected a series of rocket attacks into Israel, resulting in casualties, including over 3300 injuries and 1300 fatalities, with hundreds taken hostage. The Israel caught off guard, prodding a swift response.
Since 7 October, more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed, 98 percent of them in the Gaza Strip, with a whipping majority of children and women. Israeli cabinet methodically professed war on Hamas, authorizing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to implement a comprehensive siege of Gaza.
As a result, more than one million Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza were instructed to evict in anticipation of a ground invasion, which commenced on October 27. The ground offensive, initiated in the northern region alongside ongoing aerial bombardments, concluded its initial phase on November 24 with a hostage-for-prisoner exchange and increased humanitarian aid provision.
Following a brief hiatus, hostilities resumed, particularly in Khan Younis, recognized by Israel as a key Hamas fortress. Under pressure from its primary ally, the United States, Israel announced a phased withdrawal of its forces from the Gaza Strip starting in January 2024.
Military analysts estimate that over 90 percent of Israeli troops have been withdrawn, with one brigade remaining. Despite international calls for caese-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintains the necessity of an offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza, purportedly to exterminate Hamas. In mid-march, Israel escorted a twoweek operation targeting Al-shifa Hospital, alleging its use as a Hamas command center and hostage location. Despite U.S. intelligence confirmation of Hamas leaving the premises prior to the raid, Israel reported the neutralization of 200 fighters and the capture of 500 more. Subsequently, mass graves were discovered at al-shifa and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, prompting a United Nations call for an independent investigation. On April 1, Israel launched an airstrike on an Iranian consular building in Damascus, resulting in casualties including senior Iranian military personnel. Iran retaliated on April 13 by launching over 300 drones and missiles at Israel, marking its first direct engagement in the conflict. Israel, with counsel from allies, opted for a limited response, conducting aerial strikes on military targets in Isfahan and Tabriz on April 19, despite threats of further escalation from Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi.
There is no water, fuel and supplies in Gaza after the Hamas rejection of recent cease-fire proposals given by the United States and Egypt. Following Israel’s airstrike that claimed the lives of seven World Center Kitchen employees, other humanitarian organizations halted operations. The World Food Program alerts Gaza’s population to the close threat of famine. Attacks on medical facilities and a shortage of basic supplies have left only eleven of the thirty-five hospitals in the strip operating at a partially functional level. In addition to increasing civilian casualties, the World Health Organization has alerted about the spread of illness.
The displacement of millions more Palestinians places a challenge for Egypt and Jordan, which have absorbed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the past but have countered accepting anyone during the current war. They fear that Gazans as many of them were already ousted from elsewhere in Israel, will not be permitted to return once they leave. Egypt also has a fear that Hamas warriors could enter Egypt and start a new war in the Sinai by projecting attacks on Israel or undermining the authoritarian regime of Abdel Fattah el-sisi by bracing the Muslim Brotherhood. So far, negotiations have resulted in only 1,100 people leaving Gaza through the Rafah border crossing to Egypt. The other 1.5 million displaced Gazans—70 percent of the territory’s population—remained limited to southern Gaza and face increasingly dire living conditions and security risks.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a report on Friday calling for accountability for Israel and Palestinian militant groups for violation of certain international laws including targeting civilians, willful killing, mistreatment, wanton destruction of civilian infrastructure, and hostage-taking. On 4 May Saturday, Hamas and Israeli leadership met in Egypt for peace talks resulting in no positive response.