Unacceptable ultimatum

The Palestinian civilian population of the Gaza Strip cannot become a bargaining chip in the confrontation between Israel and Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States, in the confrontation unleashed after the savage Islamist attack last Saturday. The Israeli Army’s ultimatum for 1.1 million people to leave their homes in the north of the Strip in a matter of hours and move to the south in the face of an imminent attack — predictably a land offensive — not only places the inhabitants of the area under threat in a condition that is impossible to fulfill in practice, but it also leaves them in a situation of vulnerability and helplessness that is incompatible with the obligation that Israel has towards them as an occupying power, according to international law.

The cruelty of the attack carried out by Hamas and its persistence in launching missiles against Israeli cities lend legitimacy to Israel’s right to defend itself, but the cost in civilian lives so far, the draconian siege measures implemented — completely cutting off water, electricity and food — and the unrealizable conditions of the ultimatum exceed said right. It is impossible for more than a million people to leave their homes without knowing where to go and find a safe place in southern Gaza, where another million are already crowded into a small area of land. The transfer of the sick and injured in conditions that are minimally safe for their lives is unfeasible. And even if this were achieved, the conditions in the southern zone would be unlivable. Hamas has asked the Palestinians not to heed the ultimatum, which is a clear example of its use of civilians in whose name it claims to speak.

The priority must be saving lives and exploring all necessary avenues, no matter how remote they may seem. The proposal to open a humanitarian corridor made by the United Nations must be addressed without delay. Israel, a member of the UN since 1949 and which owes its existence as a modern State precisely to a resolution – 181 – of said organization, is obliged to weigh it. The opening of this corridor would have as its first immediate effect the cessation of airstrikes on the Strip. The Israeli Army has reported that since Saturday it has dropped some 6,000 bombs that, in the words of one of its spokespersons, are putting more emphasis on damage than on precision. And to guarantee minimum life support, both to the displaced and to the population that hosts them, it should be accompanied by the lifting of the collective punishment implied by the interruption of basic supplies. It is in no way a question of supporting a massive displacement of Palestinians that is irreversible, but rather of stopping the bloodbath. Israel keeps saying that its offensive is not directed against the Palestinian population but against Hamas, but its actions contradict it. Those who are paying the highest price are the Gazans and not the terrorist organization.

It is worth remembering that among those kidnapped by Hamas there are citizens of other nationalities besides Israelis, whose lives cannot be entrusted to the mercy of an Islamist organization that has already shown sufficient signs of cruelty, but rather to a sense of proportionality and responsibility on the part of Israeli authorities. To these hostages we must add the international personnel who work or reside in the Strip. Their governments are also obliged to explore ways to save the lives of their compatriots and to prevent the deaths of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

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