“War”

All Eyes on Rafah

A. W. Awad

IN EIGHT MONTHS, ROUGHLY 36200 PEOPLE HAVE DIED. 1200 Israelis and 35000 Palestinians. As you all know, there has been a raging conflict between Israel and Hamas for the better part of a year. This conflict is emblematic of a deep-rooted dispute between Israel and Palestine that stretches over the past 76 years. The enduring discourse surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict has sparked debate and controversy, yielding a plethora of perspectives. 

You may have seen the image on Instagram, “All eyes on Rafah”, which has been reshared over 50 million times.

Credit: Theconversation.com

Israel first started defending their country by raining bombs on innocent civilians for the actions of Hamas. (Talk about collective punishment, that’s not a war crime at all.) Anyway, Israel declared Rafah a safe zone, allowing Palestinian civilians to seek refuge in safety so that Israel could target the Hamas, who re-kindled this conflict on 7 October, 2023.

On 26 May, Israel decided to attack Rafah, launching missile strikes – not on the city of Rafah – but directly on a make-shift refugee camp just north. At least 45 innocent refugees died in the two strikes on Rafah – the so-called “safe zone” – most of them being women and children. 

The world watched as refugees dug through the rubble, looking for bodies or injured people. Even if they did find them, hospitals aren’t safe, as Israel has struck the city’s two hospitals in the past week. Leaving only six partially functioning hospitals out of the country’s initial 36.

Credit: Al Jazeera

Israeli forces have now destroyed or occupied 24 hospitals in Gaza. The attack on the “safe zone” of Rafah has served as a long-needed wake-up call to the world’s political powers. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) made a ruling on 29 May, stating that “Israel must halt any military offensive in Rafah that could harm civilians”(Chatham House)  Despite the ICJ ruling, the conflict continues. Gaza’s humanitarian crisis continues as calls for a ceasefire grow. This situation in Rafah highlights the urgent need for world leaders to work towards a peaceful solution that will preserve the lives and safety of Israelis and Palestinians.