MUWASI, Gaza Strip: As the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah grabs global attention, Palestinians in Gaza wonder: What will become of their plight after nearly a year of devastating war?
They are petrified that international concern has been diverted, and that a dark possibility looms: abandonment.
The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza have the same worry.
Nezar Zaqout, one of some 1.9 million Palestinians forced to flee their homes since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, said he fears the fighting across the Israel-Lebanon border will overtake interest in the abysmal living conditions in Gaza and efforts to negotiate a ceasefire.
“We have become completely forgotten,” said Zaqout, who is living in Khan Younis after fleeing from Gaza City months ago. “There is no news about us in the media.”
Palestinians fret the miserable conditions in Gaza will become permanent. Ninety percent of the population is homeless, with hundreds of thousands in unsanitary tent camps struggling to find food and clean water.
“A year on, and no one cares about us. Every day there is bombing, every day there are martyrs, and every day there are injuries,” said Saadi Abu Mustafa, who fled Khan Younis to Muwasi, a sprawling tent camp along Gaza’s southern coast.
Since Hamas launched the war on Oct. 7, Israel’s retaliatory invasion of Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 95,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and militants, but says over half of the dead were women and children.
Months of intense air and ground assaults have razed entire housing blocks to the ground; researchers who study satellite imagery estimate nearly 60 percent of buildings in the Gaza Strip have likely been damaged since the start of the war.
Israel vowed to destroy Hamas after Oct. 7, when its militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 250 others. While it has been badly hobbled, the militant group backed by Iran remains in power.
Israel’s government says about 70 of the 100 hostages are still presumed alive. Their families dread the government’s focus on ending the war is fading.
“My biggest concern is that all the public’s attention and the world’s attention would be gone to the north,” said Udi Goren, a relative of Tal Haimi, an Israeli killed on Oct. 7 and whose body was taken to Gaza. “Eventually the hostages will just be completely left alone without anyone to bring them out.”
As the threat of all-out-war between Israel and Hezbollah has risen, Israel has drawn down its troop presence in Gaza to move key units to its northern border with Lebanon. Still, thousands of soldiers remain in Gaza, carrying out sporadic raids and preventing displaced Palestinians from returning home.
Daily strikes have continued in Gaza, too. An Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza Saturday killed at least 22 people and wounded 30 others, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Recent rains have made already difficult living conditions in the Israeli-designated “safe zone” of Muwasi unbearable. On Sunday, children living there walked barefoot through mud that reached above their ankles, while men dug through the muck to salvage precious canned goods and furniture.
“The entire kitchen in which we prepare food was filled with water. We did not know what to do. This is the beginning of winter. What will happen in the coming days?” said Rana Goza’t, a mother displaced from Gaza City.
Others lamented water-logged mattresses and pleaded for international groups to help keep attention on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“We hope that all peoples care about us and see where we have reached,” said Enas Kollab, who relocated to Muwasi from northern Gaza.
A flurry of diplomatic activity to broker an agreement between Israel and Hamas appears to have subsided, with each side accusing the other of negotiating in bad faith and making untenable demands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel must keep troops in two areas of Gaza to prevent Hamas from rearming. But Hamas has said it will not agree to any deal that allows Israeli troops to remain.
Hopes for a deal have further dimmed as the United States, a key mediator in the talks, appears to be losing the ability to influence its closest ally. In a trip to the region last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited only Egypt because US officials believed having him travel to Israel in support of a deal might cause Netanyahu to say something that would undermine mediation efforts.
No clear vision has emerged for postwar Gaza — or who will guide and govern that process — but one thing is clear: Rebuilding the territory will take decades. The UN estimated this summer that just removing some 40 million tons of rubble would take 15 years.
As Israel’s fight with Hezbollah heats up, people of Gaza fear being forgotten
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As Israel’s fight with Hezbollah heats up, people of Gaza fear being forgotten
- The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza have the same worry
Iran’s president urges immediate Gaza ceasefire for regional stability, development
- Multilateralism key to solve global crises, says Masoud Pezeshkian
- Opposes US arming of Israel for wars in south Lebanon and Gaza
Washington: Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged the international community to ensure a multilateral approach to resolve the world’s crises including wars, discrimination and hunger.
Speaking at the UN’s Summit of the Future at the world body’s headquarters in New York on Monday, Pezeshkian said an immediate ceasefire in Gaza was a prerequisite for global development and regional stability.
He added that Israel should end its “genocide” of the Palestinian people and its occupation of the latter’s territories.
“An immediate ceasefire in Gaza is a prerequisite for global development, and that Iran is ready to work with other countries to achieve common goals,” he said.
Pezeshkian reportedly said at a gathering on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York that “we are willing to put all of our weapons aside, so long as Israel is willing to do the same.”
He expressed his opposition to the US arming of Israel for its brutal war in Gaza and south Lebanon.
“We cannot have outside actors come in, arm one side to the teeth and prevent the other side from having the means to defend themselves,” he said.
On domestic issues, Pezeshkian said his government supports the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and has prioritized poverty alleviation measures and improving health care, social security and public education.
Addressing the US’ decades-long sanctions on Iran, Pezeshkian said these unilateral actions hinder the development and prosperity of targeted nations.
“I propose to the UN Security Council in collaboration with countries affected by unilateral sanctions (to) present a comprehensive report on this matter to the General Assembly,” he said.
He also called for the reform of international financial institutions by including developing nations in governance processes.
Addressing the issue of Tehran’s controversial atomic energy program, Pezeshkian said Iran supports a Middle East free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
He added that Iran was willing to work with other nations to fight terrorism and promote regional stability.
“Iran seeks a strong secure and stable region where the resources are used to advance the nations of the region,” he said.
UNRWA chief slams ‘blatant disregard for international law in Gaza’
- Philippe Lazzarini: Agency’s ‘decades-long investment in the future of Palestinian refugees is at risk’
- ‘The scale of human suffering is immense, and our ability to respond is severely constrained’
CHICAGO: The commissioner general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees on Monday denounced the “blatant disregard for international law in Gaza.”
Philippe Lazzarini told the UN’s Summit of the Future that 222 UNRWA staff have been killed and “two-thirds of our buildings have been damaged and destroyed, killing hundreds of people seeking UN protection.”
He said: “Legislative efforts (by Israel) are on the way to evict UNRWA from East Jerusalem, remove its privileges and immunities, and designate it as a terrorist organization.
“Failing to push back against violations of international law, and failing to push back against efforts to intimidate and undermine the UN, sets a dangerous precedent. It will compromise the future of our humanitarian work and the rule of law.”
UNRWA’s “decades-long investment in the future of Palestinian refugees is at risk,” Lazzarini said.
“The scale of human suffering (in Gaza) is immense, and our ability to respond is severely constrained,” he added.
“The international response to the war in Gaza, escalating violence in the West Bank, and the spread of the conflict into Lebanon and across the region is highly concerning.
“International law is implemented selectively or not at all, reinforcing perceptions of inequality and injustice.”
Since 1948, UNRWA has provided services, including education and healthcare, for Palestinian refugees in the Occupied Territories, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire after Lebanon suffers huge casualties
- Hezbollah attacks explosives factory 60 km (37 miles) into Israel with the Fadi series of rockets
- Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah militant cell and its artillery and tanks hit other Hezbollah targets in the south
JERUSALEM/BEIRUT: Israel’s military said on Tuesday it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon overnight, a day after it launched a wave of airstrikes against the Iran-backed group’s sites in Lebanon’s deadliest day in decades.
Hezbollah on Tuesday morning said it had attacked several Israeli military targets, including an explosives factory 60 km (37 miles) into Israel, with the Fadi series of rockets.
It said it attacked the explosives factory around 4 a.m. (0100 GMT) and the Megiddo airfield three separate times overnight.
After almost a year of war against Hamas in Gaza on its southern border, Israel is shifting its focus to the northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, also backed by Iran.
The Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah militant cell and its artillery and tanks hit other Hezbollah targets in the south. Police in northern Israel said fragments of interceptor missiles were found in various areas.
Lebanese authorities said Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon on Monday had killed nearly 500 people and sent tens of thousands fleeing for safety.
After some of the heaviest cross-border exchanges of fire since hostilities flared in October as the Gaza war erupted, Israel warned people in Lebanon to evacuate areas where it said the armed movement was storing weapons.
Families from south Lebanon loaded cars, vans and trucks with belongings and people young and old. Highways north were gridlocked.
The Lebanese minister coordinating the crisis response, Nasser Yassin, told Reuters 89 temporary shelters in schools and other facilities had been set up, with the capacity for more than 26,000 people as civilians fled what he called “Israeli atrocities.”
Israel’s military said it struck Hezbollah in Lebanon’s south, east and north, including rocket launchers, command posts and militant infrastructure. The Israeli Air Force struck about 1,600 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, it said.
Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 492 people had been killed, including 35 children, and 1,645 wounded. One Lebanese official said it was Lebanon’s highest daily death toll from violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.
Gazans ‘enduring one of the darkest chapters in modern history’: Palestinian PM
- ‘Israel’s genocidal war has caused unprecedented loss and suffering and humanitarian catastrophe’
- ‘Despite long years of oppression and occupation, our people remained steadfast’
CHICAGO: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa warned UN member states on Monday that his people in Gaza “are enduring one of the darkest chapters in modern history.”
Palestinians have embraced the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, “pursuing a transformative plan of action based on human dignity and shared prosperity,” he said.
But he cautioned that Palestinians face a worsening humanitarian crisis due to Israel’s illegal occupation.
“For nearly a year now, Israel’s genocidal war (in Gaza) has caused unprecedented loss and suffering and humanitarian catastrophe,” said Mustafa.
“At the same time, our people in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continue to face systemic threats,” he added.
“For over 76 years, our people have been forced to endure multiple man-made catastrophes that have directly undermined our efforts to achieve justice, peace and prosperity,” Mustafa said.
“Despite long years of oppression and occupation, our people remained steadfast. We firmly believed that human capital is our greatest asset.”
National visions aligning Gulf states with UN SDG targets: GCC chief
- Jasem Al-Budaiwi: ‘Global challenges are having an impact on sustainable development at the global level’
- ‘I’m proud of the role that Gulf states play in the implementation of the SDGs’
NEW YORK: National development visions across the Gulf states reflect a commitment to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council said on Monday.
A day after UN member states voted to adopt the “Pact for the Future,” Jasem Al-Budaiwi delivered an address outlining the position of the Gulf states toward the campaign, which aims to revive multilateralism and rally support for achieving the SDGs, which were launched in 2015.
“At this time, we’re facing an opportunity to reaffirm common principles and strengthen international cooperation to address challenges through effective multilateral action for peace, especially given that global challenges are having an impact on sustainable development at the global level,” he said.
“International indicators point to a slowdown in the implementation of the SDGs; more than 30 percent of them haven’t made progress.”
But the national visions of GCC member states mean that the union has prioritized sustainable development, Al-Budaiwi said.
GCC member states are “convinced of the importance of partnerships in the context of development,” he added.
“I’m proud, as a citizen of the Gulf, of the role that Gulf states play in the implementation of the SDGs in a number of countries across the world,” Al-Budaiwi said.
“The GCC reaffirms the importance of the principles of strengthening peace, as reflected in the ‘Pact for the Future.’”
He called for a global focus on international law and resolving disputes through peaceful means, with a priority being a solution to the Palestinian issue in line with the Arab Peace Initiative.
“As (UN Secretary-General) Antonio Guterres has said, ‘We can’t build our future based on a system built for our grandparents,’” Al-Budaiwi said.
“We must therefore pool efforts in order to ensure that needs of future generations are embedded in all areas. The GCC stands ready to make its contribution to this effort.”
