Gaza’s Suffering Deepens as Israel’s War Expands and Civilians Pay the Price

Gaza war, which is approaching 22 months old now, keeps taking a ghastly toll on the civilian population. On Thursday alone, at least 69 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks, says Gaza’s civil defense agency. Included among the dead were women, children, and civilians waiting for aid, victims not of combat but of a war that cares little for fundamental human rights or international law.

One of the saddest events took place in a school building in Gaza City, where it had been converted into a shelter for refugee families. The structure was struck by an Israeli air raid, and 15 were killed, the majority of them children and women. Footage from the location revealed young children passing through the reduced classrooms, as burnt-out furniture and rubble pushed aside around them. The sight served as a heartbreaking reminder that there are no safe zones remaining in Gaza.

Israel claims that it is only attacking Hamas combatants and infrastructure, but in fact, the bombs are landing on civilian neighborhoods, aid queues, and shelters. Since Israel lifted its 11-week blockade on humanitarian supplies on May 19, over 400 Palestinians have been killed attempting to find food and provisions, the United Nations reports. On Thursday alone, 38 were killed waiting in line for humanitarian aid in central and southern Gaza.

These are not isolated incidents. From the tent camps in Al-Mawasi to makeshift shelters in Beit Lahia, the Israeli military continues to carry out strikes that kill and injure unarmed civilians. Entire families are being wiped out. Even places protected by international law, like schools and hospitals, have not been spared.

Israel’s moves have come under fire from human rights organizations and global viewers. On Thursday, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, urged nations to impose a total arms embargo and sever trade relations with Israel. In a scathing address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, she accused Israel of waging a “genocidal campaign” against the Palestinian people.

The situation in occupied Palestinian territory is apocalyptic,” Albanese said. “Israel is guilty of one of the most ruthless genocides of the modern era.” Her words were greeted with applause, proof that the world is finally coming to terms with the scale of the crisis. Albanese continued to read out more than 60 companies that, she alleged, had abetted Israeli settlement growth and military activities.

In spite of these threats, Israel’s attack goes on, and international responsibility is kept to a minimum. Aid from influential allies such as the United States has protected Israel from penalties or actual repercussions. While this is happening, citizens of Gaza keep on suffering.

Aiding the turmoil is increasing distrust between the aid agencies and the local authorities. On Thursday, the interior ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, cautioned Gazans against assisting the US- and Israeli-funded Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), asserting its activities were endangering lives. The ministry blamed the group for collaborating with foreign agents and threatened to sue anyone found assisting the organization.

This is how far gone the humanitarian aid system is. The distribution of food and medicine—something that is supposed to be neutral and life-giving, is now contentious, suspect, and even risky. Aid groups are meant to act impartially, but with the new paradigm of deliveries called into question even by the United Nations, the whole exercise of assisting Gazans threatens to crumble.

What is unfolding in Gaza is not merely a tragedy, it is an international political and moral failure. The world is observing, but doing very little. Words of concern, appeals for restraint, and promises of future assistance are inadequate. Action is required: sanctions, embargoes, and war crime trials, not reports and speeches.

Israel claims its war is in self-defense, but no nation can invoke self-defense as it massacres civilians and bombs shelters for refugees. The extent and frequency of the violence point towards something much more sinister, a bid to make Gaza uninhabitable.

It is also significant to consider the psychological cost of this war on Gaza’s kids. Victims of the bombing of the school were observed walking amidst rubble, searching for their families or properties. Some of these kids have already lost parents, siblings, and homes. Their future is already broken, and they will bear the trauma throughout their lives.

It is urgent. Over two million Gazans have been driven out of their homes, and thousands are on the verge of starvation. The world must step in now. Diplomatic pressure must be translated into tangible consequences for perpetrators. All those who provide arms to Israel are complicit. All those who facilitate commerce with a government engaged in these activities are complicit in a regime of violence and repression. Gaza does not need more war. It requires peace, justice, and the ability to live with dignity. The suffering of its citizens must not be debated or downplayed, it must be halted.