Faisal Ali Ghumman
Gaza -- one of the two major territories of Palestinians – has come across an unprecedented bloody attacks by Israeli armed forces in a “tit-for-tat” response since October 7.
The height of Israeli aggression on innocent Gazans follows an offensive launched by Hamas in Israeli territories on October 7. The depth and intensity of Hamas attacks is said to be historic as Hamas fighters not only fired an army of rockets at Israeli areas but also entered into Israeli settlements via land, sea and air routes.
Hamas attacked Israeli military installations and took temporary control of Israeli settlements in initial days. Israel took the attacks by surprise and then launched brutal air strikes on Gazans and their infrastructures, leveling hundreds of buildings to the ground.
Both sides are still engaged in heavy fighting at the cost of innocent civilians as over 3,500 Gazans, including 1,200 children, have been killed and 13,000 others wounded so far in air strikes. Casualties on Israel side are around 1,200. Hamas, who governs the Gaza Strip, apparently reacted to changing regional scenario and growing Israeli violations against Palestinians in occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
Despite wide-scale global protests against Israel’s “brutalism” and “war crimes”, the United Nations (UN) and the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) have so far seemed “intentionally” or “intentionally” helpless in stopping Israel from committing atrocities against civilians [under the pretext of targeting Hamas fighters].
As usual both the world bodies have merely issued a series of condemnations this time and nothing else. A resolution moved by Brazil in the UNSC to press Israel to allow humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza has been vetoed by the US today.
The OIC -- a block that represents 57 Muslim states -- has conducted an emergency meeting and just condemned the Israeli act and called for world intervention for immediate halt of attacks from both sides. A GCC member countries also held an emergency meeting to discuss the Gaza crisis.
The OIC’s “careful” approach towards Gaza is not seen as strange especially when diplomatic relations between key Muslim countries and Israel have either been established or being planned.
A serious debate on social media is questioning influential Muslim countries’ poor diplomatic efforts to rescue helpless Palestinians on practical grounds. A post recently shared on renowned social media platform Facebook that shows Head of Islamic Military Alliance General (retired) Raheel Sharif and questions where is this alliance now-a-days when Muslims of Gaza need immediate intervention.
Massive protests across the globe is an eye-opener for Muslim rulers and the West for their ‘negligent’ approach over Gaza genocide.
The OIC’s helplessness is evident of the fact that food and medical supplies at the Egypt’s border with Gaza in the last few days have yet to cross into Gaza. Though US president Jo Biden, who is seen defending Israel during his recent visit, has assured that first supply may be entering Gaza on Friday.
It is feared that Netanyahu-led far-right Israeli government will keep ponding hospitals and educational institutes, where homeless Palestinians have taken refuge, and convoys of Gazans leaving for Egypt border until aggressive and result-oriented action by OIC is not taken.
The question still baffles minds that what future these dislocated and devastated Palestinians and their families will have? Are they awaiting miracle!