As the conflict between Israel and Palestine nears a month, the rising civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip has sparked protests in an increasing number of countries.
The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that as of November 5, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has surpassed 9,700, with over 4,000 of those being children. In comparison, the United Nations has recorded 9,806 civilian deaths in the Russia-Ukraine conflict from February 2022 to October 8 of this year.
In less than a month, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has reached nearly the two-year civilian death toll of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Last weekend, protests erupted in countries including the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Romania, and Turkey, demanding that Israel halt its attacks on Gaza. Protesters in the U.S. even warned of penalizing President Biden in the 2024 U.S. election.
Turkey, Honduras, Bahrain, Jordan, Colombia, and Chile have announced the recall of their ambassadors to Israel, with Bolivia severing diplomatic ties. Hundreds of Turkish protesters also attempted to storm a U.S. Air Force base in Turkey.
Amid intensifying international protests, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu remains steadfast in refusing a ceasefire. U.S. Secretary of State Blinken, on a Middle East tour, reiterated that a ceasefire would aid Hamas.
Israeli forces have now surrounded Gaza City from the north and are poised to enter the city.
Gaza "Split in Two"
Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari announced on November 5 that the IDF has completely surrounded Gaza City, officially dividing the Gaza Strip into North Gaza and South Gaza. Israeli media anticipate an IDF assault on Gaza City within 48 hours.
Gaza City, the largest city in the Gaza Strip with a pre-conflict population of nearly 600,000, has a complex network of tunnels built by Hamas beneath it.
As the IDF prepares to advance, the Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel announced disruptions in communication and internet services in the Gaza Strip. This marks the third complete communication blackout in Gaza since the conflict began.
A UN spokesperson told the Associated Press that the organization has lost contact with most of its staff from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The latest UN statistics show that 88 UNRWA staff members have been killed, making this conflict the deadliest for UN workers.
In addition to intensifying the offensive in northern Gaza, Israel continues to launch severe airstrikes across other areas of Gaza. On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes on two refugee camps in central Gaza resulted in at least 53 deaths.
The IDF spokesperson said that the IDF paused its airstrikes in northern Gaza for several hours over the weekend to allow civilians to move to the south through a safe corridor.
However, a reporter from Al Jazeera stationed in Gaza criticized the Israeli claim of establishing a safe corridor for civilians to move to the south as lacking evidence, stating that every area in Gaza is becoming a target for Israeli airstrikes, including civilians trying to move from the north to the south.
The UN has warned that the daily food supply for the people in Gaza is down to two loaves of bread, and the World Food Programme has cautioned that basic food supplies in Gaza's shops can only last another five days. On Monday morning, the Jordanian Air Force airdropped emergency medical supplies to the Jordanian Hospital in Gaza.
Blinken's Middle East Tour
To prevent the spillover of the Israel-Palestine conflict, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken, after attending the Arab leaders' summit in Jordan on Saturday, made unannounced visits to the Palestinian West Bank and Iraq. On Monday, Blinken is set to visit Turkey.
During his visit to the West Bank, Blinken met with Palestinian President Abbas. U.S. officials revealed that Blinken proposed that the Palestinian National Authority play a central role in the Gaza Strip after Hamas is cleared out.
The Palestinian National Authority is the official government of Palestine, controlling the West Bank. The Fatah movement, which leads the Palestinian National Authority, has clashed with Hamas, which took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.
Previously, U.S. media revealed that the U.S. and Israel are considering post-Hamas Gaza plans, including joint management by the U.S. and Arab countries, UN takeover, or control by the Palestinian National Authority.
But Abbas pointed out that the Palestinian National Authority would only take over Gaza as part of a "comprehensive political solution" to the Israel-Palestine conflict, meaning the implementation of a two-state solution.
Abbas also called for an immediate halt to the Israeli offensive in Gaza, condemning Israel for waging a "genocidal war" and urging the quick entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Blinken, on the other hand, reiterated the U.S. position: not calling for a halt to the fighting but agreeing to a temporary humanitarian ceasefire to facilitate the transport of aid.
During his visit to Iraq, Blinken warned Iran and Iran-backed militias not to use the Israel-Palestine conflict as an opportunity to attack U.S. military personnel, making it clear that the U.S. will take "all necessary measures" to ensure the safety of its personnel.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Iran-backed militias have intensified drone attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. In response, President Biden ordered U.S. airstrikes against facilities of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-backed militias in Syria at the end of last month.
On Israel's northern border, clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces continue. On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of three children and an elderly person. Subsequently, Hezbollah fired rockets at Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel.
On Monday, the UK announced the partial withdrawal of staff from its embassy in Lebanon.
Protests in Europe and America
Over the past weekend, protests erupted in the U.S., France, Germany, Italy, and other countries against Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians.
In Washington, thousands of protesters carrying banners reading "Free Palestine" and "Biden has betrayed us" demonstrated against the Biden administration's support for Israeli military actions in Gaza.
Several protesters told the Associated Press that they would penalize Biden in the 2024 election due to his administration's performance in the current Israel-Palestine conflict. Since the potential Republican candidate is the anti-immigration Trump, the protesters also would not support Trump, potentially leading to a refusal to vote in the election.
In Congress, several senior senators expressed concern over the conflict in Gaza.
Democratic Senator and former presidential candidate Sanders stated that while Israel has the right to self-defense, this does not mean Israel has the right to kill thousands of civilians unrelated to Hamas attacks.
Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed urged Israel to make more use of U.S. intelligence to precisely target and reduce civilian casualties. Chris Murphy, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, called for Israel to change the direction of its operations in Gaza, criticizing the civilian casualties as reaching an "unacceptable level" and not permanently ending the threat from Hamas.
In Germany, about 6,000 protesters participated in a protest march in Berlin; in France, thousands of protesters demanded an immediate ceasefire by Israel, accusing French President Macron of being an accomplice. Since the start of the current Israel-Palestine conflict, there have been frequent attacks against Jews in France. Last Saturday, an attacker in Lyon stabbed a Jewish woman.
During the London protests, police arrested 11 people, accusing them of using hate speech. In Italy, Deputy Prime Minister Salvini called on protesters not to incite anti-Semitism.
Just before Blinken's arrival in Turkey, hundreds of protesters tried to storm the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey's Adana province, protesting U.S. support for Israel. The base has been used for operations against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, with over 2,000 U.S. personnel stationed there.
Faced with growing calls for a ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear last Sunday that Israel would not cease fire unless Hamas released all hostages.
Earlier that day, Israeli Minister of Heritage Amihay Eliyahu even claimed that dropping an atomic bomb on Gaza was one of Israel's options. This statement provoked collective condemnation from countries like Saudi Arabia and organizations such as the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Later that evening, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced the suspension of Eliyahu's eligibility to attend cabinet meetings, stating that his remarks were "not based on reality."
As Israel continues to maintain a hard line, the U.S. has further increased its military deployment in the Middle East to assist Israel in deterring neighboring countries. Last Sunday, the U.S. Central Command announced on the X platform that an Ohio-class nuclear submarine had arrived in the Middle East.
Prior to this, the U.S. "Ford" carrier strike group and the "Eisenhower" carrier strike group had already arrived in the region. The U.S. has also sent a military advisory group to Israel to guide ground operations in Gaza.
