Gaza: Strip of the living – the dead – 2024-02-26 20:23:35

Hours before another round of complex negotiations began in Paris last Friday for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s government presented its plan for the post-war administration of the region, rejecting international pressure for a comprehensive solution that would include recognition Palestinian State. Meanwhile, the death toll has reached the tragic milestone of 30,000 dead and 70,000 injured (a total of 5% of Gaza’s population), while 2 million displaced Palestinian civilians, most trapped in Rafah, next to the Egyptian border, under the constant threat of a general attack by the Israeli army.

In the known conditions for the complete dissolution of Hamas, demilitarization, the creation of a security zone and absolute freedom of movement of the Israeli army throughout the Strip, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu now adds a local vetting mechanism by local officials who “should have administrative experience, not have ties to, or be employed by, states or organizations that support terrorism.” These individuals are supposed to contribute to the eradication of extremism from the Palestinian people, the distribution of humanitarian aid and the future reconstruction of the region with foreign aid under the supervision and approval of every step by Israel.

The plan for humanitarian aid

We are already looking for the right people to create “humanitarian enclaves,” an official told the Israeli press. The same source described a “pilot project” starting in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, even though “clearance operations” were being carried out there by the Israeli military even as of midweek. But it is clear that the “traders” and other “distinguished members of civil society” that Israel wants as collaborators, if they were not killed by the bombings or did not take the path of refugee, would very hardly risk ending up with a bullet in the head, as shown by the experience of a similar plan that the US occupation forces tried to implement in Iraq.

However, the part of the plan for “humanitarian enclaves” is probably connected to the preliminary decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague on January 26, which required Israel to present within a month a report with the measures it is taking in Gaza to comply with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The Palestinian Authority rejected Netanyahu’s plan in its entirety and accused him of undermining international mediation efforts to buy time to exterminate the Palestinians in Gaza. Intervening in the crisis the former prime minister of Israel Ehud Olmert described Netanyahu’s far-right government partners as a ruthless, bloodthirsty gang possessed by messianic delusions and pushing the country into international isolation while striking a new Armageddon in the Middle East.

Israel calls for the dissolution of UNRWA

As those remaining in northern Gaza starve, the Israeli government is calling for the dissolution of the UN Refugee Agency (UNRWA), claiming that of its 12,000 employees across the Strip, 440 are active members of Hamas’ military wing, another 2,000 are executives of the organization, while 7,000 have a first-degree relative who belongs to it. For its part, the UNRWA administration maintains that it has not received the slightest evidence from Israel, not even for the alleged participation of 12 of its officials in the murderous raid by Hamas on October 7, while it counts 150 dead employees since the beginning of the war.

Meanwhile, the Israeli report on sexual crimes by members of Hamas has been released, which includes chilling descriptions of gang rapes, desecration of the dead and all kinds of abuse of Israeli women and men. 134 hostages remain in the hands of the organization, while the Israeli authorities say they have no evidence to confirm the rumored escape of the leader of the organization, Yahya Sinuar, in Egypt.