No agreement has been reached on a pause in fighting in Gaza

While Israeli tanks surround Gaza City, international pressure is growing to at least temporarily stop the fighting. For example, the heads of eighteen United Nations agencies and NGOs are calling for a ‘immediate humanitarian ceasefire‘. Four questions about the combat situation in the Gaza Strip.

1 What options are there to temporarily stop the fighting?

There are varying degrees of military de-escalation. The lightest option is the humanitarian pause. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) calls this a “temporary cessation of hostilities purely for humanitarian purposes.” These breaks are usually agreed upon for a specific period of time, sometimes just a few hours.

Something more formal is a truce, also called ‘suspension of hostilities’. Armistice agreements are concluded by the warring parties themselves and do not end the fighting. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), an armistice should ‘allow work to be done that has nothing to do with general warfare (e.g. removing the wounded, burying the dead, exchanging prisoners ) or should it give military commanders time to request instructions on negotiations’.

One step further: cessation of hostilities. This means that one or both sides have announced a suspension of fighting. But it is non-binding. A ceasefire, an agreement between both warring parties, is. This is also temporary in principle, but the aim is to last longer and to allow the warring parties to talk to each other about permanently ending the fighting.

Only the UN Security Council can decide on a binding ceasefire. That also means that the United States must agree.

2 What does the US want?

On Wednesday, Joe Biden was interrupted by someone in the audience during a campaign event. The man, who identified himself as a rabbi, asked the president “to call for a ceasefire.” Biden responded: “I think we need a break. A break gives time to get the prisoners out,” he said, referring to the hostages Hamas is holding.

The day before, two of Biden’s ministers (Antony Blinken of State and Lloyd Austin of Defense) had also been interrupted. Their hearing before Congress was disrupted by anti-war demonstrators who raised their red-painted hands and shouted at the ministers: “Protect the children of Gaza,” “stop financing genocide” and “cease fire now!” .

Both incidents illustrate what opinion research also shows: young and progressive voters in particular think Biden is too pro-Israel. While touring Israel, the West Bank, Iraq and Jordan, Blinken also spoke with several Arab leaders, who called for an “immediate” ceasefire. However, Blinken stated that he was not in favor of this. The US endorses the Israeli position that a ceasefire would allow Hamas to “regroup.”

On Monday, Blinken concluded his whirlwind tour of the region with a visit to Turkey. In Ankara he did not speak with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is very critical of Israel, but was received by his counterpart Hakan Fidan. Afterwards, he repeated his plea for a ‘humanitarian pause’, while acknowledging that this is “all ongoing work”.

3 How urgent is a pause in combat?

Israel has repeatedly called on the approximately 1.1 million residents of Gaza City and its suburbs to move south. A majority of people have responded, but an estimated 300,000 residents have remained in the city or moved there. Israel has dropped leaflets over the city with the message that anyone who remains behind could be considered an accomplice to a terrorist organization.

The Gaza Strip now has 1.5 million displaced people. UN agency OCHA warns of complete saturation of reception capacity in the south of the strip. More than 700,000 people live in UN buildings, more than 100,000 in hospitals, churches and public buildings and another 100,000 in schools. The 92 buildings of UNRWA, the UN organization for Palestinian refugees, are so full that they can no longer accommodate anyone. Several cases of acute respiratory infections, diarrhea and chickenpox have been reported among people seeking refuge in UNRWA shelters.

On Monday morning, the Israeli army promised residents of northern Gaza safe passage to the south for four hours. “For your safety, take this next opportunity to head south,” the army said in Arabic on X. According to the UN, only two thousand people have taken advantage of this opportunity. Escaping is an ordeal: there are often no means of transportation or fuel, and many roads are destroyed. In recent weeks, evacuation convoys have indeed served as Israeli targets. Israel, in turn, accuses Hamas of attacking evacuees. The UN estimates that around 30,000 Palestinians have even decided to return to the north after concluding that they were not much better off in the south.

Meanwhile, it is becoming increasingly difficult to survive in Gaza City. Apart from the danger to life caused by the military battle, Israel has also destroyed water and electricity sources.

4 Is there no humanitarian relief at all?

Trucks with food, medical supplies, water and hygiene products arrive gradually. This aid only reaches the south; According to some reports, not even a single bakery is active in Gaza City anymore. According to the World Food Program, essential foodstuffs including rice, vegetable oil and legumes are at risk of running out within one to three days.

Israel points out that it has reopened some water pipelines since the start of hostilities. Some aid is also coming from the air: Jordan has dropped urgent medical supplies at the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza City.

To share





Email the editor