As Israel goes ballistic in Gaza, the World calls for ceasefire
By Magnus Onyibe
As the global community urges a halt to the ongoing Israeli-Gaza conflict, Israel, bolstered by unwavering support from the mighty United States of America (USA) and Western Europe, is providing only brief daily respites in the form of four-hour ceasefires. These pauses aim to facilitate the movement of beleaguered Gazans from the besieged northern region to the comparatively safer southern part of Gaza.
The Gaza Strip and its residents are experiencing a devastating form of destruction reminiscent of an apocalypse. Israel, acting aggressively, resembles a wounded lion attacking its evidently weaker neighbour.
READ ALSO: Air Peace, our misery, their goal
On October 7, this less powerful neighbour invaded Israel’s territory with the intent to harm and violate defenseless Israelis, resulting in the abduction of nearly 240 people. In light of these atrocities, anyone with a conscience and a sense of humanity would undoubtedly call for a ceasefire, as is currently happening worldwide.
In light of the evolving situation, countries in the US and Europe supporting Israel are facing significant criticism for their unwavering endorsement of what some view as the dehumanizing treatment of Palestinians, potentially amounting to war crimes. This backlash is exacerbated by the stark power asymmetry between Israel, a financially and militarily dominant nation, and Hamas/Gaza, the target of its military operations.
Regarding the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza due to the actions of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), UN Special Reporter Francesca Albanese expressed her concerns, especially in the context of the introduction of the daily 4-6 hour battle pause.
“Think of what it may have felt for the (people) trapped in Gaza, Palestinians (and) hostages alike, especially the children, to be bombed incessantly night and day for 33 days. Not even a few hours of respite.”
The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, has emphasized, “Far too many Palestinians have lost their lives.”
Additionally, during the Arab World meeting in Saudi Arabia, there was a unanimous call for a ceasefire. However, Israel appears unyielding, connecting the plea for a ceasefire to the condition of releasing approximately 240 Israelis allegedly held as hostages by Gaza fighters.
To comply with the global call for a ceasefire, according to Prime Minister Netanyahu, would be akin to surrendering to terrorism.
“The war is moving forward with force that Hamas has never seen,” Netanyahu proclaimed in a vigorous address commemorating a month since the invasion. “There will not be a ceasefire without the return of our kidnapped.”
In an apparent effort to exert public pressure on the Israeli leadership, Hamas, or Islamic jihadist fighters in Gaza, seem to be employing a psychological approach. This is evident in a video featuring Israeli hostages, a 70-year-old and a 13-year-old, who are urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cooperate with their captors. The hostages warned that if they were harmed, the responsibility would lie with the prime minister. This tactic underscores a shift toward psychological warfare by the abductors rather than conventional military strategies.
However there is speculation that the Israeli prisoners are currently detained in a sophisticated network of underground tunnels, assumed to resemble the intricate overhead bridges in Los Angeles, California, commonly referred to as ‘spaghetti’ due to the complex interweaving of roads above and below each other. This network is believed to be impregnable.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) may find it challenging to access these locations easily, making it difficult to rescue Israeli citizens. Therefore, opting for negotiations over sheer force appears to be the most viable approach to ensuring the safe return of Israeli hostages after a ceasefire has been implemented
This move by Hamas is obviously aimed at softening the heart of PM Netanyahu, particularly following the emotional outpouring from the Israeli public, especially the family members of the kidnapped, whose emotions would be heightened by the distress call in the video clip. It is yet to be established if that strategy would work as envisaged by Hamas, or conversely, if it may become a justification for Israel to intensify its military onslaught on Gaza.
That notion is underscored by the fact that the Israeli Defense Force, or IDF, may get fired up to redouble efforts to rescue the hostages after watching the contents of the video, making the prospect of storming Gaza to rescue the unfortunate 240 Israelis abducted more urgent. In light of the extremely delicate circumstances surrounding the recent hostage situation, the daring commando raid on Entebbe airport in Uganda comes to mind as a poignant reference point.
This historic event, which occurred in 1976, involved the rescue of hostages from a passenger plane en-route from Israel that had been hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. The memory of this heroic operation may cast a significant shadow on the minds of Israelis who lived through it and on the global consciousness as a whole.
Recalling the renowned Entebbe Raid staged by Israel on July 3–4, 1976, as highlighted by Britannica.com, seems relevant at this point. The event involved the rescue of 103 hostages from a hijacked French jet airliner en- route from Israel to France.
The airliner was hijacked on June 27 after stopping in Athens by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Red Army Faction, a West German radical leftist group. The plane was then flown to Entebbe, Uganda, where additional accomplices joined the hijackers.
At Entebbe, the hijackers selectively released 258 passengers who were not identified as Israeli or Jewish while keeping the remainder hostage. Their demand for the release of 53 militants imprisoned in Israel, Kenya, West Germany, and other locations added a complex layer to the crisis.
In response to this dire situation, Israel took swift and decisive action. On July 3, they deployed four Hercules C-130H cargo planes, each carrying 100–200 soldiers, escorted by Phantom jet fighters. Covering a distance of approximately 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from Israel to Uganda, the Israeli force executed a meticulously planned rescue mission.
Within an hour of landing, they successfully liberated the hostages, showcasing the effectiveness of their strategic and operational prowess.
All seven militants were neutralized, and 11 MiG fighters, provided to Uganda by the Soviet Union, were obliterated. The Israeli forces incurred the loss of one soldier and three hostages during the operation. On their way back, the Israeli planes rendezvoused with a waiting hospital plane and refueled in Nairobi, Kenya. The success of the Entebbe raid significantly bolstered Israeli morale.
However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that this event occurred approximately 37 years ago, and the global landscape has undergone significant transformations since 1996. The current hostages are not as visibly situated as the airline hostages were in 1996; instead, they are likely held in intricate and concealed underground tunnels scattered throughout the Gaza Strip.
- Magnus Onyibe, an entrepreneur, public policy analyst, author, democracy advocate, development strategist, alumnus of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA and a former commissioner in Delta State, sent this piece from Lagos, Nigeria.
