The declaration of a ceasefire in Gaza brought temporary relief to its beleaguered inhabitants, but this hope has proven tragically short-lived. Despite the truce, officials report that Israeli strikes killed 33 people, including 12 children, on Wednesday alone, while Israel maintains its troops came under fire. Another five Palestinians lost their lives on Thursday, with hundreds perishing since the ceasefire was initially declared.
A Humanitarian Catastrophe Unfolds
Even if the shelling completely stops, the systematic destruction of Palestinian life continues unabated as Israel maintains its throttle on aid deliveries. The World Health Organization delivered a stark warning last month that the health catastrophe would persist for generations. Food remains desperately scarce, while displaced families shiver in flooded makeshift shelters facing their third winter of homelessness.
Aid organisations confront impossible obstacles in delivering stockpiled tents and tarpaulins to those in need. Israel, which denies blocking aid, has designated tent poles as "dual-use" items that could potentially serve military purposes. The situation has become so dire that Save the Children reports children sleeping on bare ground in sewage-soaked clothing.
Controversial US Plans for Gaza's Future
The Guardian recently revealed US plans for the long-term division of Gaza into a "green zone" under Israeli and international control, designated for redevelopment, and a "red zone" left in ruins. A US official described the reunification of the strip as merely "aspirational." This vision, which would see international troops essentially propping up Israeli occupation while Palestinians gravitate toward less squalid areas, echoes disastrous US policies previously implemented in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This framework underpins the UN security council resolution endorsing Donald Trump's peace proposals. The proposed "board of peace" resembles a colonial authority overseen by Mr Trump, potentially anchored by Tony Blair. Palestinian technocrats, expected to be both domestically credible and acceptable to the US and Israel simultaneously, would operate beneath this structure.
International Response and Palestinian Reality
The resolution secured backing from the Arab world and angry rejection from the Israeli right by including references to a Palestinian state and Israeli withdrawal. However, these references appear in the vaguest terms, presented as unguaranteed rewards for good behaviour rather than recognition of inalienable Palestinian rights.
As political scientist Nathan Brown has warned, "what looked like a forever war may be metamorphizing into forever misery" for Palestinians. Germany has already announced it will resume weapons exports to Israel, while countries that were complicit in what many describe as a genocidal war face increasing pressure to demand better conditions for Gaza's civilian population.
