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An offensive that has to stop in the name of Humanity

It is high time to stop the killing of civilians in the Gaza for Prime Minister Netanyahu must realise that even if Gaza were to be flattened, the Hamas will still be around, in different name and form.

Damage caused by the war / UN Photo

It is now almost a month since the horrific terror attack on Israel took place by the dreaded Hamas  outfit operating out of the Gaza. It is said in all about 1400 people lost their lives in the Jewish state on Oct 7, the terrorists knowing full well that the response is going to be so massive that the brunt is going to be on innocent civilians.

Terrorists, as the world is aware, have no sense of shame as being cowards they hide behind women and children, in hospitals and places of worship. And this is precisely where the death toll has been heavy in massive retaliatory strikes by Israel. It is believed that more than 10,000 civilians have perished and hundreds more could be buried in the rubble in what has now come to be seen as a counter-offensive. And that sliver of land where some 2 million people stay has been sealed off, with no food, water and electricity.

For all those in the comity of nations screaming about proportionality in military response, they had better wake up to reality. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the name of going after the Hamas fell right into another trap set by the terrorist group: the indiscriminate killing of men, women and children that is bound to rattle global conscience.

 Today the world has largely forgotten the outrage perpetrated by the Hamas; it is all focused on the sufferings of the Palestinians. And each day the pounding continues from land and air, Israel comes under more pressure to give a pause, at least from a humanitarian point of view. And the administration of Joe Biden in the United States looks helpless in the midst of the few Arab friends it has.

It is high time to stop the killing of civilians in the Gaza for Prime Minister Netanyahu must realise that even if Gaza were to be flattened, the Hamas will still be around, in different name and form. Nations in the West, the Middle East and others interested in the well being of Palestinians must look for a political solution to find a permanent way out of a madness that is only plunging the region into further uncertainty.

In the aftermath of 9/11, the United States and other major intelligence agencies took their eyes off the Hamas and started looking for bogus excuses and scapegoats to militarily intervene in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. Maybe the world’s “best”, Mossad, slept at the switch. But today’s attention must be on arresting a catastrophe that has already unfolded in the Gaza. Strategic thinking, not revenge, is the need of the hour.

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