The war conflict between Israel and Palestine is one of the longest lasting and hard to comprehend. The conflict dates back to the 20 th century when Jews who had fled the Holocaust settled in the Gaza area. The Jews wanted to establish an independent state, but the Arabs who were the current inhabitants could not let them. The area was also under British jurisdiction. A conflict therefore occurred, and the first war broke. The conflict was resolved but arose again in 1948 and 1967. The 1967 war was a significant one since the results are major contributors to the ongoing war. During this war, Israel took over Bank West and gained control over Gaza, which holds to date. The Palestinians, however, feel that these regions are Palestinians territories, and Israel is using force to evict them from their ancestral land. The Gaza strip is the territory causing conflict between the two for close to ten years.
In 2005, a ceasefire was declared in a bid to ease the suffering of citizens and give peace talks a chance. The United States has a significant influence on the war in Gaza; thus in the same year, it allowed the Palestinians to exercise their democracy and choose their leaders. After the elections, a group known as Hamas won the election. Most people knew Hamas as a terrorist group, but that is not the case. It is the ruling party but incited the citizens against Israel, which fuelled the war. The Hamas wants to regain control over West Bank and the Gaza strip and has resolved to use violence to push Israeli Forces out of these areas ( Schein, 2017) . They also want an independent state, which will have its capital in East Jerusalem. The Hamas turned into a resistance group that recruits youth to fight using simple weapons. The residents of Gaza also occasionally clash with the Israeli soldiers during protests. While the Israel Defense Force is well equipped and financed by other nations, including the United States, the parties on the other side have no army.
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Hamas often shoots rockets into Israel, which Israel retaliates to by bombing. In a recent attack, Israel bombed a car and killed a leading financial controller, who was allegedly supplying money from Iran to fund the Islamic Jihadists and Hamas. Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza, which means they control all activities at the border. They control what goes in and out of Gaza, such that it is easier to prevent materials used in the making of the rockets from entering Gaza ( Hassouneh, Couleau, Serra & Al-Sharif, 2018) . This has however been achieved fully since Hams is still able to make rockets. The Israeli Forces also control the port, with one opening into Gaza and another into Egypt. It also controls the power supply, which is often cut off for security measures. The airport is also non-operational, which means goods only enter Gaza by road or sea. The supply of fresh products is often less than the demand, which limits the activities of the people of Gaza.
The war in Gaza has paralyzed the economy by seventy percent. Businesses and companies have been closed due to frequent attacks. Schools near the border are also no longer operational, and the rest go to school in fear. The people in Gaza live in fear, depending on donations by the United Nations (Blanchard, 2016). More than 4.6 million people have fled from their homes, living in crowded centers where sanitation is poor. Since Israel controls entry and exit of goods into Gaza, it still controls how much business is done in Gaza. Property owners have also neglected their property since it no longer has value. Houses are no longer rented due to frequent airstrikes, and people prefer to live in concentration camps for the feeling of security.
The citizens are the most affected by the war, with those in Gaza having a harder time. The Israeli government has set up security measures for its citizens. They have anti-rocket gadgets that dissemble them before they cause damage. They also have sirens that warn residents when a rocket is fired, and they are supposed to get cover in fifteen seconds. Every home in areas that are within reach of the rockets has a secured basement where the family members hide until the unrest is over. However, normal activities such as business, worship, and education are interred with due to fear of attack. The families in Ashdod and Ashlek, the cities that have been major victims of the war say they need peace. Their relatives have been killed in war they do not clearly understand what is being fought for (Penningtone, 2018). Their freedom of movement and association has also been interfered with since they have to stay near shelters in case a warning siren goes off.
The rights of people in the Gaza are however violated to a greater extent. Gaza has no organized army or government to protect them. Thus the number of injuries and death are overwhelming. Attacks intensify at night, which make them sleep in fear. The Islamic Jihadists recruit youth into their army by force or deception through brainwashing them. Young men are recruited into the resistance by being made to believe they are fighting for their religion. Hamas on the other side convinces residents that they are heroes fighting for their land and sovereignty of their state. Those who refuse to join are often tortured, while others disappear.
Since the war started, 80% of those who have died are Palestinians. The fighters do not have the proper equipment, especially when compared to the Israeli Defense Forces. The residents of Gaza also lack access to basic amenities such as health, infrastructure, food, housing, and education. In Gaza, there is only one well-equipped hospital that admits severing cases of gunshots and bombing victims (Sharnoff, 2017). The rest have to be treated in makeshift tents, while others never make it to the hospital due to poor infrastructure. The roads into Gaza are impassable, such that the injured often have to be carried on stretchers by fellow citizens. Medical volunteers also fear to go into Gaza due to the frequent attacks, since their safety comes first ( Weinthal & Sowers, 2019) . Israel also controls the power supply and cuts it whenever they want to. People cannot carry out business and live in fear. However, the Palestinians are bold enough to come out into the streets during the day but stay indoors from 6 pm. Children and women suffer most since they are left in the camps to queue, and never leave. Pregnant mothers also experience trauma due to bombings, which has affected the health of newborns (Punamaki et al., 2018). The right to proper healthcare, freedom of movement and association are unknown in Gaza since the war started.
While Egypt plays a significant role in restoring peace between the two countries, the American government is also influential. As witnessed when the US embassy was moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Palestinians were not happy with the decision. While Israel readily accepted the decision, Palestine and other Middle East countries felt that Israel was serving self-interest by shifting its capital to Jerusalem. They interpreted it as a way of possessing Jerusalem, yet it is an important city for the three monotheistic religions (Milton, 2018). For Jews, it hosts the western wall, which is the holiest place for their religion. Muslims hold Jerusalem important since the Noble Sanctuary called Haram al-Sharif is there. Christians also believe several significant happenings concerning the Passover and the crucifixion occurred there. Hamas and the Islamic Jihadists protested against the decision by firing close to three hundred rockets into Israel. This confrontation led to a twenty-four-hour fight that left 7 Israelis, 180 Palestinians dead and more than 6000 injured. This angered the Middle East countries at large since while delegates were launching and celebrating the new embassy, scores of citizens in Gaza were being killed for this decision.
Since then, various peace meetings have been held, with Egypt as the mediator. George Bush, continued by Barrack Obama, and still underway by the Donald Trump leadership the peace process is still ongoing. Obama visited Israel in 2013, where he mediated a peace treaty between Israel and Turkey. Turkey has cut its aid to the war because Israeli Forces had intercepted Turkish flotilla that killed ten Turkish residents. After that, turkey restored its aid to the people affected by war (Brecher, 2017). In 2017 when President Trump came into power, he sent his assistant to Israel to initiate peace talks, but not much was done after that. During the launching of the new US embassy, Donald Trump promised that the move was aimed at accelerating the peace talks since Tel Aviv, the original location, was within a range of Palestinian rockets. However, up to date, the current US government is yet to provide a detailed plan on how it is aiding the peace process, despite the good relations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Egypt has been the most prominent mediator and has initiated several ceasefires, including the March and May 2019 ones. Currently, it is in the forefront of peace negotiations on Israel opening the port entry to allow more business in Gaza. The delay might have been the reason for the last week’s unrest. The talks have brought calm for days now, as Palestinians wait on the decision of Israel.
Conclusion
The war in the Gaza strip is a puzzle that needs to be solved with an emergency. It is a degradation of human life dignity, especially among citizens who are victims of circumstances. Infrastructure, development, education, and health is stuck which has resulted in severe human suffering. The war in Gaza thus needs to be stopped by accelerated peace talks, not focusing on any gain but on for the benefit of citizens. Both parties need to agree on a fair deal to save the life of their citizens.
References
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Schein, A. (2017). The economic consequences of wars in the land of Israel in the last hundred years, 1914–2014. Israel Affairs , 23 (4), 650-668.
Sharnoff, M. (2017). Nasser's Peace: Egypt’s Response to the 1967 War with Israel . Routledge.
Weinthal, E., & Sowers, J. (2019). Targeting infrastructure and livelihoods in the West Bank and Gaza. International Affairs , 95 (2), 319-340.
