Post-tragedy, the looming specter of another forced displacement
Asharq Al-Awsat, London, November 10
“Do you have any water or bread?” This was the recurring question posed to me by every child I encountered during my recent visit to Gaza. As the first high-ranking UN official to enter the region since October 7, my experience was a stark reminder of the dire situation faced by the people of Gaza.
Throughout my three decades working in conflict zones, meeting with children, women, and men who sought shelter under the care of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has always been heart-wrenching. One of the most poignant encounters took place in Rafah, where I met displaced Palestinians seeking refuge in an UNRWA school. They guided me through the building, now transformed into a shelter, pointing out the destruction caused by bombings that resulted in numerous fatalities and injuries.
As their stories unfolded, I couldn’t shake the realization that we stood inside a school – a place originally intended for learning, laughter, and play. Instead, I found myself in a realm of unimaginable distress and harrowing living conditions. In the presence of frightened, hungry, and thirsty children, I was at a loss to fulfill their most basic needs: water and food. In Gaza, a staggering 700,000 individuals find themselves seeking refuge in approximately 150 UNRWA buildings. Their simple plea? A morsel of bread and a drop of water. These civilians, who entrusted their safety to the UN Blue Flag, now find themselves grappling with destruction and death instead of basking in the reassuring aura of international protection. As I pen these words, the grim tally reveals that 99 of my colleagues at UNRWA have perished, while nearly 50 agency buildings have been reduced to ruins, some directly targeted.
The toll of despair reaches unimaginable heights, with over 10,000 lives lost since October 7, as reported by the Gaza Health Ministry. Shockingly, this includes more than 4,000 children, surpassing the annals of child casualties witnessed in conflicts worldwide since 2019. Beyond the confines of the shelter I had the chance to visit, Gaza is plunged into an abyss of darkness. The ongoing siege has transformed the lives of its people into a nightmarish existence, devoid of basic necessities like food, water, medicine, and fuel. The markets now bear a haunting emptiness, while the scant aid trickling through Rafah by truck falls woefully short of meeting the urgent demands. Municipal services buckle under the weight of a monthlong conflict – sewage inundates the streets, and anxiety-stricken folk endure agonizing queues outside bakeries. This state of chaos is but a harrowing reflection of the despair that accompanies their agonizing wait.
Dehumanizing all civilians in Gaza
As winter approaches, the toll will likely become more chilling, with countless lives hanging by a thread, particularly those of women, children, and the elderly. Simultaneously, while the conflict rages on, a disturbing trend takes shape within certain circles – a conscious effort to dehumanize the entire civilian population of Gaza, including its innocent children. They are painted as terrorists – a crude ploy aimed at justifying the extensive damage inflicted upon them. The deaths of numerous civilians are readily brushed off as mere collateral damage.
Shockingly, some politicians stoop to labeling all Gazans as “terrorists.”
It is crucial that we express our profound outrage at the appalling massacre that has unfolded in Israel. No civilian should ever become a hostage or be reduced to a mere bargaining chip. However, it is both irresponsible and insincere to indiscriminately accuse all Gazans in order to justify violations of international humanitarian law. Such a practice undermines the painstaking efforts of the international community to establish that every conflict must have its boundaries.
The widening of collective punishment to encompass all civilians in Gaza, extending even to the West Bank where Palestinian farming communities are being unjustly uprooted from their homes and lands, based solely on their Palestinian identity, poses a haunting threat. It has the potential to plunge the entire region into an unfathomable abyss. The ramifications of the war in Gaza may reverberate far beyond its borders, igniting an inferno that engulfs the entire area. As I pen these words, Israeli forces are coercing those who find themselves stranded in northern Gaza, often the most vulnerable individuals unable to relocate for their own safety, to flee southward. Tragically, bombings and strikes continue to claim lives, leaving the southern region dangerously unprotected. What lies in store for the more than 2 million Palestinians trapped within the confines of this cramped southern enclave?
They now face an uncertain future, confined to a small area, compelled to seek refuge in the southwest, where they have been promised water and food by the UN. This dire situation should never have come to pass. For both Palestinians and experts well-versed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the current exodus bears an unsettling resemblance to the original displacement of approximately 750,000 individuals from their towns and villages in 1948 – a traumatic event known as the Nakba.
This week, several Israeli politicians have unabashedly called for a recurrence of such a tragedy, a sentiment that has deeply resonated throughout the region. However, these measures being taken will not yield the cherished peace and stability that both Israelis and Palestinians yearn for and deserve. Razing entire neighborhoods to the ground, regardless of the residents who call them home, cannot serve as a viable solution to the abhorrent acts committed by Hamas. On the contrary, it risks plunging the region into a harrowing chapter of darkness. The International Criminal Court holds the jurisdiction to examine and pass judgment on the alleged war crimes; crimes against humanity; and acts of genocide committed by both sides. It is imperative that the responsible individuals are held accountable for their actions.
Until that crucial moment arrives, we must urgently strive to mitigate the ongoing crisis. Immediate activation of a humanitarian ceasefire is necessary, alongside the removal of the blockade imposed upon Gaza, permitting unobstructed access for continuous and meaningful humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza. These vital measures are not only equitable and essential for the civilians residing in Gaza, but also for the well-being of civilians in Israel. It is vital to remember that the children tragically lost in Gaza were not “terrorists,” “inhuman creatures,” or “people to be erased.” Like all children, they brimmed with life, dreams, and aspirations. This massacre must cease immediately, for it represents our final opportunity to salvage what remains of our shared humanity. – Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general
Translated by Asaf Zilberfarb.