What does NRC | think? The Netherlands must speak out more clearly about the drama in Gaza

The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip cannot and should not leave anyone indifferent. Every time you think things can’t get any worse, Israel steps it up a notch. Of the 2.2 million Gazans, an estimated 1.7 million are now refugees, according to the United Nations. They don’t know where to go either. With the increased Israeli attacks in the south, including on refugee camps, safety is almost nowhere to be found for Palestinians. There is a shortage of everything: food, water and medical aid. Because there is also not enough fuel, water can no longer be completely purified – resulting in infections and, in more normal circumstances, easily treatable diseases. But it is no longer normal. In the few functioning hospitals, staff have to mop with the tap open. Children, many children, are victims of a war in which they should not be a party.

After the horrific attack on October 7, there was no question that Israel was allowed to defend itself. It still has the right to crack down on the terrorist organization Hamas. But satellite images now show that the Israeli army is no longer sweeping away not just Hamas but the entire Gaza. This apparent act of revenge is out of all proportion and should be interpreted in terms of the laws of war as unauthorized ‘collective punishment’. In some neighborhoods there are hardly any buildings left standing. The deliberate use of heavy and therefore less targeted bombs results in proportionately more civilian deaths than in any other modern conflict.

Even in the United States, Israel’s closest ally and arms supplier, concerns about this are increasing. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said this week in Tel Aviv that he did not want to prescribe a timetable, but did recommend that Israel reduce the intensity of the attacks and switch to “more surgical” operations.

Although it is doubtful whether Israel is paying attention to the increasingly widespread criticism, it is good that the US is now attaching some conditions to its support. But it remains too little. It was the US that irrevocably vetoed several resolutions in the United Nations Security Council calling for a ceasefire. The vote on a new resolution calling for an “end to hostilities” was postponed many times this week in an attempt to get the US on board. In the UN General Assembly, in which all countries have a (non-binding) vote, a large majority has already voted several times in favor of a humanitarian, therefore temporary, ceasefire.

The Netherlands abstained from voting twice because the text of the resolution did not mention the cause of the war, the tragedy on October 7. Germany and the United Kingdom, two other loyal partners of the US, also abstained, but last week they did advocate a “lasting ceasefire” in a British newspaper – although it is unclear how this should take shape.

It is shameful that the Netherlands, apart from providing emergency aid, keeps a low profile internationally. The conflict continues to expand, also due to Houthi interference in the Red Sea. With The Hague as the unofficial capital of international law, the outgoing cabinet could order an investigation into possible violations of the laws of war and speak out unequivocally against the ruthless destruction caused by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. But the primary responsibility still lies with Israel. It must do much more to protect innocent Gazans. As the occupying power, it has a duty to provide the population with food and medical aid. That is also the law of war.

Correction: an earlier version of this commentary referred to the outgoing government – only the cabinet is outgoing.

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