Israel insists that the aim of the upcoming invasion of Gaza is to destroy Hamas once and for all. But that ambition may be hiding another: a desire to retake as much territory as possible, say experts, who fear the Middle East could go up in flames.
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Last Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant promised Jewish state troops assembled on Gaza’s northern border that the upcoming invasion of the Palestinian enclave would be the last operation of its kind, “for the simple reason that Hamas will cease to exist,” he stressed .
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Explosion in the Gaza Strip.
But it is primarily Palestinian civilians who are dying from the bombs and who have been deprived of basic resources since the start of the Israeli offensive and the imposition of the complete blockade of the Gaza Strip.
“There is what Israel says and what Israel does. They say they want to eradicate Hamas, but it is clear that the current violence is directed against Palestinian civilians. “They definitely want to pay the population a very high price,” complains the sociologist and Middle East expert Rachad Antonius.
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This fear campaign risks continuing because the aim of the “inhumane” military campaign launched by Israel on October 8th is “very poorly calculated,” says the professor of international development and globalization at the University of Ottawa and a specialist in conflicts in the Middle East. Ruby Dagher.
“By focusing on Hamas in this way, Israel completely ignores the criticism leveled against it over the human rights abuses in Gaza that have fueled the conflict. Furthermore, we have seen in Iraq, Syria and Libya that every time we try to eradicate a group in this way, another replaces it. And the population usually pays the price,” she analyzes.
The reconquest of Palestinian territory
For Rachad Antonius, the numerous attacks against the population of Gaza set the stage for a second goal of Israel: the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes.
“Israel would ideally force as many Palestinians as possible into exodus in order to conquer as much territory as possible. They will do it by terrorizing them and making their lives difficult,” he says.
Since the Jewish state ordered civilians to leave, around 1.4 of the Gaza Strip’s 2.2 million residents have been displaced.
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Food distribution in the Gaza Strip.
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A woman breastfeeds her child in the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s desire for expansion for the benefit of the Palestinians is already evident in the intensification of colonization in the West Bank in recent months, emphasizes Ruby Dagher.
“We cannot ignore the number of colonies since the summer [israéliennes] in the West Bank is increasing rapidly. There is a lot of violence between settlers and Palestinians. What we see there is an attempt to change the face of the West Bank,” she emphasizes.
At least 102 Palestinians, including children, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since October 8, according to Palestinian Authority figures released on Friday.
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Demonstration in the West Bank on October 25, 2023.
In June 2023, Israeli authorities unveiled plans to build approximately 5,700 new housing units in the West Bank, breaking the record for the number of Jewish housing units approved in the settlements in a year within six months.
Wildfire danger in the Middle East
After deadly Hamas attacks two weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would “transform the Middle East.”
Iran, a Hamas ally, has said it will not stand idly by if the United States fails to contain Israel’s offensive in Palestine.
The Israeli government’s pursuit of its goals in the Gaza Strip could therefore set off a conflagration throughout the Middle East, fears Ruby Dagher.
“For Arab countries, this is not a war against Hamas, but a war against the Palestinians,” she stressed.
“If images of civilians killed in Gaza continue to circulate, if the dying does not stop, if we continue to experience suffering, if humanitarian aid does not reach the people, if this terrible situation continues, the Arab countries will not “You have won” “That “We don’t accept it, even if they don’t want war,” the professor continues.
Arab leaders in many neighboring countries, including Egypt and Jordan, have been warned that they reject collective punishment of Palestinians that could trigger armed uprisings that they cannot control.
The war could therefore gradually escalate in the coming weeks and months, especially if influential actors in the region become involved in the conflict, fears Rachad Antonius.
“As the conflict expands, there will be a series of smaller confrontations that will make armed responses inevitable. Hezbollah, which is present in southern Lebanon, could get involved. Little by little we will move towards an escalation that risks setting the entire Middle East ablaze. “We’re playing with fire right now,” he said.
Since the war sparked by the bloody Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel that claimed 1,200 victims, Israeli attacks have left at least 6,546 dead, including 2,704 children, and 17,439 injured in the Palestinian territory, according to the Hamas government ministry of the Gaza Strip demands health.