Friday is a day that historically has been very tense in the Middle East in times of crisis and war such as now. Hamas has issued a call for an international day of rage on Friday as a result of Israel’s bombing and blockade of the Gaza Strip – home to over 2 million people.
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Israel’s National Security Council fears that it will lead to more violence against Israelis and Jews. They are asking their citizens to stay away from demonstrations around the world on Friday.
At the same time, there is great fear in the Gaza Strip that things will get worse. At least 1,537 people have been killed and the healthcare system is about to collapse. Israel has imposed a blockade and there is a shortage of food, water and electricity.
– The time has come for war
Now the people of Gaza fear a ground operation. Israel has assembled an army of at least 300,000 soldiers around the Gaza Strip.
– The time has come for war, said Israel’s defense chief Herzi Halevi on Thursday.
At the same time, Israel has received a clarification from the United States. The support the country provides is without restrictions. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the US expects Israel to do what is right.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has made it clear that it can investigate any war crimes committed by Israel and Hamas.
Got to see horrible pictures
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel on Thursday. He says he saw horrific images of the killing of civilians when Hamas attacked. Blinken says he saw images of a baby riddled with bullet holes, soldiers who were beheaded and young people who were burned in their cars.
– It is depravity in the worst possible way. It is really beyond what we can understand, says Blinken.
Hamas has said it has not tried to kill civilians and children, but a series of videos and witness accounts tell a different story.
The gruesome images and accounts of the killing of civilians mean that many are afraid that Israel will act even harder. They have already imposed a blockade which means that Gaza is largely without electricity, food and water. Palestine warns of genocide.
According to the UN, at least 423,000 people in Gaza are now internally displaced. The situation is critical, says the UN. The healthcare system, water supply and sanitation are in the process of collapsing.
UN chief António Guterres has called for a humanitarian corridor from Egypt. That is being negotiated, but Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has made it clear that his country will not accept civilians from Gaza.
Sisi says the people of the Gaza Strip must be steadfast and remain in their territory.
Hours left
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned on Thursday that there are only hours left before the generators at the hospitals in Gaza run out of fuel.
– The humanitarian suffering this escalation has created is abhorrent. I ask both parties to reduce the suffering of civilians, says ICRC Regional Director Fabrizio Carboni.
Hamas’s call for an international day of rage has been met with support from the Fatah movement that rules the occupied West Bank.
There are fears of unrest in several European cities. In Paris, police have already used tear gas and water cannons to break up demonstrations in support of Palestine. Jewish schools in Amsterdam and London are temporarily closed.
In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul says parents must decide for themselves whether to keep their children home from religious schools or skip going to synagogue on Friday.
Can’t think about the future
In the Gaza Strip, there is both sadness, desperation and rage. People try to help as best they can.
– The situation is critical. The ambulances do not reach the wounded and the wounded do not get to hospital. We cannot transport the dead to the morgues, says spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra in Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
At the same time, funerals are taking place both in Israel and in the Gaza Strip. In Gaza City, the morgue at the largest hospital is now full. Bodies are piled up in corridors and in the parking lot.
– The body bags just kept coming. Now it is a cemetery. I am emotionally and physically exhausted. I just have to stop thinking about how much worse it could be, says nurse Abu Elias Shobaki.
2023-10-13 02:09:09
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