Israel intensifies fight against Hamas – ‘nobody is even safe somewhere in Gaza’

The military action on the ground is being expanded, more area is being taken and there will be an extra east-west corridor. Israel has, in the words of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, « changed from acceleration » in his fight against Hamas.

The more than two million inhabitants of Gaza receive one after the other order of the Israeli army to evacuate. For example, the inhabitants of a neighborhood in Gaza city and of the southern city of Rafah have to leave their houses again. Most ends up in Al-Mawasi, an area on the coast that Israel has declared ‘safe zone’-although it also bombards this area.

In the meantime, 64 percent of Gaza falls under an order for forced displacement or a buffer zone, says Jonathan Whittall, the highest UN aid officer for occupied Palestinian territory. « Nobody is safe somewhere in Gaza. »

According to a statement from Minister Israel Katz (Defense), Israel wants to ‘take large parts’ of Gaza. That could indicate a strategic change since the resumption of the war, two weeks ago. In the first phase of the battle, the Israeli military actions on land were always temporary in nature.

Nevertheless, the question is whether there is a real change of course, says Briga-generally Han Bouwmeester, professor of military-operational sciences at the Dutch Defense Academy. « Time will show whether Israel really intends to permanently annex that taken area. »

Bouwmeester sees the same image as before the war: the Israelis have divided the map of Gaza into ‘squares’, and per area they look at whether they invade it and whether they should be evacuated. « That is a tried and tested strategy against terrorist organizations such as Hamas, the fighters of which are between the population and sometimes go underground. »

Morag-corridor

The Morag corridor is new. So far, Israel has controlled two East-West connections in Gaza. The Netzarim corridor runs in the north, with which Israeli troops can control the movements between the northern and southern part of Gaza. And in the far south, the Israelis occupy the Philadelphi corridor: the area along the border with Egypt.

The Morag corridor, named after a former Israeli settlement on that location, separates Rafah from the slightly more north of Khan Younis. Nothing needs to be demolished; The buildings in that zone had already been destroyed. It is still unclear where the new corridor will end on the west side. There he encounters Al-Mawasi, the tent camp where the residents of Rafah are just forced.

With this new corridor and the evacuation warrant, Israel hopes that the Rafah can besiege, to completely eliminate Hamas. Bouwmeester probably considers it that information shows that Hamas fighters are mainly in Rafah.

There are two new ones for every warrior you kill

All in all, the Brigadier General mainly sees an intensification of the battle, led by the ‘Hardliner’ Eyal Samir, who took office last month as the new Chief of Staff of the Israeli army. « Only one point remains the same as for the ceasefire: Hamas don’t just row out. It is an ideology that comes out of frustration about the way Israel treats the Gazans. There are two new ones for every warrior. »

Displacement

The inhabitants of Gaza are forced by all invasions and evacuation conceptions to an increasingly smaller area. This increases their fear of permanent displacement, certainly because Israeli leaders have said that they intend to make the voluntary departure of Palestinians from Gaza possible. Earlier, US President Donald Trump called on all over two million Gazans to send away and redevelop the area as a coastal resort under American authority.

The actions of Israel in Gaza « violate war law in several ways, » says Marten Zwanenburg. He is a professor of military law at the University of Amsterdam and the Dutch Defense Academy. For example, according to international law, a war -carrying party may only destroy properties if there is a strict military necessity for it, according to Zwanenburg. « And it seems to be missing here. »

Evacuation statements may also not be issued just like that. They must either be necessary for the safety of the citizens, or there must be a strict military need for it. « And then the evacuation must be done in a human way, with a clear destination, and there must be enough food and water for the evacuated people, among other things. »

According to Zwanenburg, none of the conditions are really met. « Israel has closed the help to Gaza, in its own words because there would have been enough during the ceasefire. But the United Nations contradict that. Moreover, it is simply an obligation of Israel to let the help through. »

According to some, the forced relocation of residents can be called « ethnic cleansing », but according to Zwanenburg that is not a defined legal concept. « You can talk about whether Israelians commit war crimes and crimes against humanity. The latter are essentially serious human rights violations that are committed as part of a systematic or widespread attack on the civilian population. It would not surprise me if these events stimulate the discussion about it. »

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