While the war in Ukraine goes into its third year, with Moscow and Kyiv hitting mostly military targets in an effort to minimise casualties, Israel is marking a year of war against Hamas, with atrocities in Gaza at risk of spreading to neighbouring Iran and Lebanon.
Thousands of bombs are destroying cities in the Middle East, killing people and burying them under rubble. Meanwhile, such drastic measures have not brought the conflict one step closer to ending. Now the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is escalating into a full-scale military confrontation involving several states.
The military capabilities of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Hamas differ by hundreds of times, but as soon as Israeli tanks emerge from a destroyed neighbourhood, the militants resume shooting. They are firing at those who, by launching a retaliatory operation in the Gaza Strip, have provoked a humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East.
The Israeli military, according to experts familiar with the restricted information, was allegedly ordered to hit targets, waiving identification as a military procedure.
Under the pretext of destroying Hamas militants hiding in shelters, Israel does not hesitate to bomb entire neighbourhoods. World leaders, who only call for a ceasefire and de-escalation, are so used to the atrocities in Gaza that the recent mass pager bombings in Lebanon seemed to be of no surprise to anyone.
The Israeli-made image of the victim of persecution since World War II is being erased by the hands of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Moreover, Israeli officials are angry at the stance of the NATO Secretary General for his calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Nor did the Secretary General side with Israel during the recent missile attack by Iran, which was tired of enduring a year of Tel Aviv’s atrocities in Gaza under the pretext of eradicating Hamas.
Today, Israel is on the warpath with a dozen Iranian-led entities. Israel is threatening to launch a showcase “retaliatory strike” despite the fact that Iranian missiles have been targeting Israeli military facilities in order to quell Israel’s ambitions.
However, the ongoing fighting in the Middle East deprives foreign military and financial donors of resources that could be used to support Ukraine in its challenging war. Today, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) might lose the Donetsk region due to the shortage of weapons and manpower that has led to the loss of a key defensive site, the town of Vuhledar.
A year ago, Israel unwittingly gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a controversial birthday present by launching a war in the Middle East on 7 October and pulling European and US military resources there. Today’s escalation between Iran and Israel may be the second such gift for the Russian leader.
Links between Middle East and Ukraine wars
The FBI reportedly came to the home of the famous American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. It is reported that Hersh, also known for his investigation into the North Stream bombings, was preparing a sensational article on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. He was supposedly going to expose the chain of events that began on 7 October last year and led to many behind-the-scenes decisions.
Looking back at events after 7 October, Gaza and Lebanon were dragged into a confrontation with Israel by the hands of Hamas militants. The armed group’s attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, allowed Israel to act as a victim and justify subsequent atrocities in Gaza.
Even before the Israel-Hamas war, Tel Aviv harboured plans to expand its territories, but had no reason to make territorial gains. In fact, Hamas gave them the chance to gain control of Gaza and other territories with its attack on 7 October. The terrorist attack allowed Israel and its allies to mobilise and marshal their military resources, giving them an incentive to fight the terrorists.
Hersh could also have suggested that before the war, Netanyahu had secured in advance the support of the Rothschilds and the world’s most powerful Jewish families to expand Israel’s territory. This would have put many influential individuals at risk, which additionally incentivises the intelligence services to vet the journalist’s material.
Earlier, former US President Donald Trump lost the election after allegedly refusing to back Israel’s claims due to the discontent of the oil lobby. Hersh may have suggested that Washington pull troops out of Afghanistan as they could have been under attack if the conflict escalated.
The new US administration is fully supportive of Israel. The White House is likely to support Israel if it wins the confrontation and decides to legitimise its territorial claims.
The United States’ support for Israel and Ukraine and the possible links between the conflicts deserve special consideration. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could have known about preparations for war against Russia several years before it broke out. He could have contributed to the escalation by forcing Moscow to initiate hostilities against the backdrop of a security threat to Crimea and eastern Ukraine. As a result, the war helped prepare the world to react to another armed conflict.
Latest hostilities
European leaders once again repeated calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, especially on the anniversary of the Hamas attack and Israel’s retaliatory strike. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the Hamas attacks, which killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostages, were an example of “unspeakable savagery.”
The European Union stands with all the innocent people whose lives have been shattered to the core since that fateful day. One year on, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is appalling. The European Union will keep doing its utmost to mobilise financial assistance and facilitate deliveries and distribution of humanitarian aid, to the Palestinian people, and now also in Lebanon.
On Sunday, 6 October, the Israeli military announced a new air and ground offensive in Jabaliya, in northern Gaza. Israel reiterated its call from the early weeks of the war for the complete evacuation of the northern part of the enclave.
Palestinian authorities reported massive Israeli strikes on Gaza on Sunday that killed at least 19 people in an attack on a central mosque. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities said they had put the country on high alert for possible attacks as they prepared to hold their own memorial services for victims of the 7 October Hamas attacks.
Meanwhile, missiles fired by Lebanon’s Hezbollah group hit the Israeli city of Haifa, Israeli police reported. Ten people were injured in the northern region of the country, according to Israeli media. Hezbollah said in a statement that the attack targeted a military base south of Haifa and that a barrage of Fadi 1 missiles were fired, two of which hit the city.
Families of hostages taken in last year’s attack are continuing their efforts by organising a rally demanding the release of their loved ones. Of the 251 hostages taken, 97 remain in captivity and the deaths of 33 have been confirmed, according to Arab media.
The Gaza war began when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023. Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
THE ARTICLE IS THE AUTHOR’S SPECULATION AND DOES NOT CLAIM TO BE TRUE. ALL INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM OPEN SOURCES. THE AUTHOR DOES NOT IMPOSE ANY SUBJECTIVE CONCLUSIONS.
Bill Galston for Head-Post.com
