Escalating Middle East Tension: By Hameed Khan

War, across various historical contexts, represent organised, often violent conflicts among different people and groups, states or nation. During the Middle Ages, religion and feudalism contributed to the wars among different territorial groups. However, the modern era saw the emergence of industrialised warfare, with devastating consequences. War entails the mobilization of the forces, strategy, and the use of military technology, resulting in significant losses to human life. War at its core meaning is just to be considered as the heavy damage to the politics, economy, and loss of social life.

Palestine and Israel are at war from the last 7 days, and are both in the way towards this devastating consequences and heavy human loss to one another. Although both the countries, in the middle East, are closest to each other, sharing same geographical territory, with different religions are at War resulting in its huge loss to both the states, of which they are well aware, but, both of them remains ignorant and silent over this destructive War. On 7th October 2023, Group, the militant group in Palestine did planned attack on Israel, in which hundreds of the children, women, and young ones lost their life.

The attack was pre-planned attack by the Group group as Group itself has been experiencing many attacks by the Israel in the past. This time, the attack on the Israel by Group, with the pre-planned, and it’s successful completion showed to that the world, Group attack is just because of this that it was no more able to bear the brutality of Israel, and its inhuman act against Palestinian brothers.

If history has to be traced in the past, then there are many strong evidence that the land of Palestine, and it’s people were and are bearing the risk of their life at their own land. Palestine attack on Israel, and if it has to be contrasted with those of the Israel, then this is crystal clear that Israel has always seen in breaking the laws of the human rights. In August and July 2014, Israel launched a massive army at Gaza strip, carrying airstrike operations on Palestinian militant targets. The attacked killed more than 2,200 Palestinians, over 70 Israelis and foreigners, and injured 10 tens of thousands in 50 days of bloodshed.

On May 14, 2018, massive protests broke out in Palestine against the US moving its embassy in Israel Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, clashes erupted between protestants and the Israeli army, resulting in 58 Palestinians killed and 2,800 have been injured. From April to May 2021, during the Muslims holy month Ramadan, several clashes took place between Israel and Palestine as the former restricted the Palestinian from the land of Jerusalem. The war broke at Al-Aqsa mosque, the fighting continued for 11 days, resulting in 232 deaths in Gaza and 12 people in Israel. From August 5-7, 2022, at least 55 Palestinians lost their lives in Gaza during three days of violence that started on August 5, attacking the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement (PIJM). In retaliation, the PIJM launched 1,100 airstrikes on Israel.

On January 27, 2023, Gaza took two missiles at Israel to retaliate for the recent attacks it received, in this attack 7 Palestinian gunmen and two civilians were killed in it. Israel later launched airstrike on Gaza. On May 9-13, 2023, Israel started an operation against the PIJM in the Gaza Strip, killing three of the group’s top commanders. In response, the PIJ fired 1,000 airstrikes towards Israel. The violence between the two witnessed at least 33 Palestinians’ lives while killing an Israeli civilian. On June 19, 2024, Israeli forces attacked in which 6 six Palestinians were killed and at least 90 others were wounded on the ground, in an hours-long gun battle in Jenin in the northern West Bank, where 8 Israeli forces were also wounded On July 3-4, 2023, Israel army waged a large-scale war against Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank in July 3, in an attempt to thwart militants within the camp. According to official figures, 13 Palestinian and an Israeli soldier were killed. On October 7, 2023, Group, an Islamist group ruling the Gaza strip, launched a successful surprise attack over Israel, which included the firing of thousands of rockets towards Israel.

The New rounds of conflict between the two resulted in 1,000 people killed on both sides, with thousand people injured. Moreover, the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel is a tragic example of the devastating consequences of war. Both nations, despite their close geographical proximity and shared history, have been locked in a chain of violence and retaliation for years. This recent attack by Group on Israel, while shocking, is a reflection of the deep-rooted grievances and tensions in the region. The history of this conflict is marred by countless lives lost and communities torn apart. It is a stark reminder of the need for a peaceful and lasting solution, one that respects the rights and dignity of both Palestinians and Israelis. The international community must work towards a resolution that ends this cycle of destruction and suffering.

Hameed Khan

Writer is the student of the Government College University Lahore (GCU).