The October 7th, 2023, massive surprise attack perpetrated by Hamas militants against several towns and cities in the South of Israel, with all its violence, hostage taking, killing of civilians and now cataclysmic repercussions for the citizens of Gaza is a date that will forever live in infamy. No matter you’re position on the most contentious issue in the world for the last 75 years, as human beings we can’t help but cringe each time reports of women and children becoming nothing more than a statistic, another casualty. Some call it collateral damage, some call it a war crime while others are totally indifferent, this burgeoning conflict has the entire Middle East on the eve of destruction.
As of Monday, the Gaza health ministry has reported that 2750 people have been killed and 9700 wounded since the IAF’s brutal bombings began immediately after the October 7th incursion. Hospitals, mosques and thousands of homes have been indiscriminately leveled by Israeli missiles. ( info courtesy of Gaza health ministry).
According to Al Jazeera, 1400 Israeli citizens were killed on the October 7th Hamas raid. There are no “good guys” in this, both Hamas and the Israeli military are behaving like savages.
To put these bombings into perspective, the Website Business Standard stated that the Israeli Air Force has dropped more bombs in six days since the Hamas raid than in any month during the entire U.S. led coalition against ISIS. The much-expected ground invasion which has been building up since the beginning of this orgy of violence would transform this from an Israeli – Hamas conflict into an all-out Middle East regional war.
The northern border skirmishes between Israel and the Iranian funded, Lebanese militia Hezbollah gives an ominous precursor of what could potentially transpire if a greater conflict does come to pass. In 2006 Israel and Hezbollah engaged in a bloody five-week confrontation which similarly was precipitated by a cross border infiltration from Hezbollah into northern Israel which included the heavily contested Golan Heights. Despite lacking the expensive, technologically advanced weaponry Israel possesses, Hezbollah surprised most military experts and fought Israel to a stalemate. 215 IDF soldiers were killed, with another 1110 wounded, while Hezbollah casualties were almost identical, although the numbers of dead and wounded civilians, as well as members of the Lebanese government were listed between 1200 to 4000. (info courtesy of Human Rights Watch).
The wild card nation whose inclusion would escalate this already catastrophic crisis is Iran. Unlike Hamas and Hezbollah who in comparison to the IDF are undermanned and heavily reliant on weapons assistance, Iran is stockpiled with a massive military arsenal.
Iran boasts the largest military in the Middle East. Iranian forces consist of approximately 610,000 active-duty personnel plus 350,000 reservists that can be mobilized when needed. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard is a well-equipped, battle-hardened branch of the country’s army. It’s more or less their version of special forces, synonymous with the United States Navy SEALS. (Info courtesy of the Council for Foreign Relations).
Israel, Egypt and of course the USA have the clout to minimize the damage, that could conceivably wreck the entire Middle Eastern region if countries such as Syria, Iran and Lebanon enter the fray. The United States may very well be the most powerful nation on Earth yet seems to be unequivocally subservient to Israel. Consequently, their attempts at peace negotiations will always be intensely one-sided, on the other hand Egypt has served admirably when moderating negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
The global entity that is supposed to intercede in these times of crisis, the United Nations, have been reduced to a bloated, useless international body.
On October 18 Brazilian ambassador and President of the 15 nation UN Security Council urged council members to forge a united response to the crisis. Naturally the United States vetoed a resolution meant to apply a humanitarian ceasefire to allow lifesaving aid for over a million Gazans. Twelve out of the fifteen countries that make up the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution. Russia and the UK abstained, making the United States the only member to vote against the measure. The US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s explanation for her country’s rejection was typically robotic, stating, “this resolution did not once mention Israel’s right to defend themselves.” How does blocking humanitarian relief to the suffering civilians of this cataclysmic war affect Israel’s ability to defend itself? This repetitive reasoning for Israel’s acts of violence is beginning to sound more and more like empty rhetoric. (info courtesy of news.un.com)
The United States and Iran are the two nations most responsible for the death and destruction in Palestine and Israel. Whatever the circumstances or reasoning, both countries refuse to waver from their unmitigated support for either side. In 2022 Ismail Haniyeh stated publicly that Hamas received 70 million dollars in funding. The majority of that financial assistance was used to construct rockets and towards financing other military capabilities. Meanwhile on October 20th, President Joe Biden promised an unprecedented 14.3 billion dollar aid package during his visit to Tel Aviv. Proxy-wars and the use of proxies by larger nations against another is nothing new. The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989) and more recently Syrian Civil War (2011-) are some famous examples of proxy-wars. Whether it was Hitler and Mussolini turning the tide for General Franco’s Nationalists in support of fascism, or the US not so discretely contributing weapons to assist Afghan extremists defeat the Soviet Union. As we all know those Afghan “allies,” mainly Osama Bin Laden, would several years later plan and carry out the deadliest terrorist attack in US history. ( info courtesy of britannica.com)
The culmination of this frightening flare- up of ultra violence will more than likely end with the total destruction of the Gaza Strip. As for the West Bank, illegal settlements will continue to swallow up any remaining Palestinian land. There’s certainly not a shred of optimism that a peaceful solution could ever be the final result of this recent conflict. The scars are too deep, the death toll too steep, and the radicals on both sides too stubborn, far too drenched in hatred to ever reach a comprehensive agreement towards a lasting peace.
Sadly, the majority of casualties inflicted are always inflicted upon the innocent civilians. Since the beginning of this horrific violence, 1400 Israeli civilians have perished, while 4000 Palestinian Innocents have been victimized by rampaging bombing raids. Whether those depressing numbers are totally accurate isn’t really important, what should be of utmost importance is to figure something out so that no more children have to be taken hostage, go for weeks without food, water or medicines.
The international community, mainly the US, UK and United Nations should be ashamed of themselves.
The proverbial blood on their hands will never wash off.
( Info courtesy of www.rand.org)
Another great site by the Dangerous Globe
