The current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has lasted for more than a month, and the situation in the Gaza Strip is becoming more and more tragic. As of December 16 local time, the conflict has killed at least 20,288 people in the Gaza Strip, including nearly 5,000 children. This is the most tragic Palestinian-Israeli conflict since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
The Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, is a narrow strip of 41 kilometres long and 6 to 12 kilometres wide, bordering the Mediterranean Sea and bordering Israel and Egypt. There are more than 2 million people in 365 square kilometres, of whom as many as 1.7 million are Palestine refugees. The Gaza Strip is controlled by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which Israel considers an "enemy-occupied zone", with a complete blockade imposed by land, sea and air, with strict restrictions on access.
The trigger for the conflict was that on 7 October, Hamas began to fire rockets intensively into Israel, and its militants entered Israeli territory under the cover of rockets to carry out military operations. Hamas said it had fired at least 5,000 rockets into Israel. Israel then declared a state of war and launched an operation codenamed "Iron Sword" against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
Since then, the conflict between the two sides has continued to escalate, and Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip has caused a large number of human and property losses, and the infrastructure, medical institutions, schools, refugee camps, etc. in the Gaza Strip have been severely damaged. Residents of the Gaza Strip face severe shortages of water, electricity, food, medicine, etc., and a serious humanitarian crisis. Hamas has not stopped rocket attacks on Israel, causing residents of several Israeli cities to live in fear and have to hide in bomb shelters.
The international community has expressed great concern and concern over the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and has repeatedly called on both sides to cease fire and resume peaceful dialogue. The UN Security Council has adopted a number of resolutions on Palestine and Israel, calling on both sides to protect civilians, respect international humanitarian law, and accept humanitarian assistance from the UN. The United States, Russia, Egypt, Jordan and other countries have also actively mediated in an attempt to broker a ceasefire agreement between the two sides.
However, the Israeli side has consistently refused to accept any form of ceasefire, insisting on carrying out military action to the end and eliminating Hamas's military capabilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even threatened the possibility of Israel dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza, a remark that sparked strong condemnation from the international community. Hamas has also said that a ceasefire will only be considered if Israel stops its attacks on the Gaza Strip, lifts the blockade on the Gaza Strip and releases all detained Palestinians.
At present, the prospects for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remain uncertain, the positions of the two sides are still very different, and the scale of the conflict is still expanding. The people of the Gaza Strip are still suffering from the ravages of war, and the people of Israel are still enduring the threat of rockets. The historical roots of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict have not yet been resolved, and there is still no hope for the future of Palestinian-Israeli peace.
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