The NGO Crisis Group has called on the United States to halt Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip and "ensure a steady flow of aid throughout the territory" or risk an "unprecedented humanitarian disaster".
"Firm US pressure is probably the only factor that can make Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reconsider his approach" and Washington should not wait "to see if the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar opens a window to end the war in Gaza", because "admonitions alone will not be enough" to make Tel Aviv back down, says Crisis Group.
In its statement, the NGO believes that regardless of whether the death of the Hamas leader on October 17 "opens a window of opportunity to end the war in the Gaza Strip, the besieged population cannot afford to wait to find out".
A year after Hamas-led attacks killed 1,200 people in Israel and took 250 hostages, Israel has launched its largest-ever ground offensive in northern Gaza, with “stated goals” including “the suppression of Hamas militants and civilian authorities, who have regrouped since Israel last invaded the northern Gaza Strip, in order to pave the way for an alternative government.”
“Israel’s tactics during the campaign, along with statements made by some officials, suggest that the government may seek to achieve an outcome that goes beyond its publicly stated goals,” Crisis Group charges.
Today, with “the world’s attention partially diverted by the war in Lebanon and the specter of a new war in Iran, and with the US presidential election just weeks away, Israel has expanded its campaign in Gaza with less scrutiny” and the “steps it is taking threaten to alter the demographic landscape forever, depopulating parts of the north as the army establishes a buffer around Gaza’s periphery,” the NGO believes.
That is why it is time for Washington to act, argues Crisis Group. “As the US strives to negotiate a ceasefire and the release of hostages, the best path to a long-term de-escalation in Gaza, it should also press Israel to prioritize the protection of Gaza’s civilian population,” it says.
In this latest military phase, and "despite having significantly reduced Hamas' military capabilities, Israel remains in a strategic impasse", because the "armed brigades and local administrative structures have shown resistance, replenishing their ranks and re-emerging following Israeli withdrawals".
Following this, on 1 October, at the same time as it closed "healthcare facilities" and approved "measures that practically prevent the entry of food, water, fuel or medical supplies into the north" of the Gaza Strip, "the army began giving orders" to the 400,000 inhabitants of the region, "to move to a designated 'humanitarian zone' in the south", in al-Mawasi, a small territory of eight square kilometres uninhabited before the war, the NGO accuses.
The situation, Crisis Group believes, indicates that the Israelis are preparing for a long operation, "aimed at emptying the north of its inhabitants and starving Hamas and those remaining into submission".
On the other hand, "Hamas appealed to the population not to comply with Israeli orders" and thus "it became impossible to move around northern Gaza, let alone leave."
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