Gaza marks 10 months of war as Palestinians grapple with death and destruction

Ten months into Israel's war on Gaza, over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed amid widespread destruction and a total siege crippling the enclave.

The New Arab Staff

07 August, 2024

https://www.newarab.com/news/israels-war-gaza-10-months-death-and-destruction

Wednesday marks 10 months since Israel began waging its brutal war on the Gaza Strip, inflicting unprecedented levels of devastation, death and destruction on the territory’s residents.

As of 7 August, at least 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October as a result of the Israeli military assault on the coastal enclave.

Since then, the country’s army has bombarded and flattened almost all corners of the Gaza Strip. Israel has targeted residential buildings, UN-run schools, hospitals and places of worship despite international criticism.

Israeli forces have also imposed a total siege on the territory, depriving Palestinians of fuel, food, water and medicine among other necessities.

Aid has since trickled into the Strip, though sporadically amid Israel’s multiple attempts to block the entry of humanitarian assistance sent for the enclave from international donors. 

The New Arab breaks down 10 key moments as 10 months of war have plagued Gaza.

Assassination of Hamas top chief Ismail Haniyeh

Hamas’s political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated on 31 July in Tehran, Iran in an attack blamed on Israel.

The assassination sent shockwaves across the Arab and Islamic world and among Palestinians, who have sent messages of condolences and held mourning periods for him as well as absentee prayers for him.

The killing has triggered fears of a wider escalation of conflict in the already-tense region, as both Iran and Hezbollah vowed to avenge Haniyeh’s killing.

Israel also killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr a day before Haniyeh's assassination, in a strike on the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Tensions mount, large escalation feared

Israel’s war in Gaza has drawn in several actors, particularly those belonging to the so-called Axis of Resistance umbrella.

Iran-backed Hezbollah engaged in cross-border fire with Israel the day after the military onslaught in Gaza began, where over 500 Lebanese have been killed, mostly Hezbollah fighters but also civilians.

Yemen’s Houthis have also targeted Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea, while attacks against US army bases by Iran-backed militias in Iraq have also been reported.

Israel has also launched assaults on Syria.

Analysts and experts have warned of an escalation in conflict over the months, though the assassination of Haniyeh in Iran, and Shukr in Beirut have triggered wider of such.

Travel warnings have been issued from several Western countries, urging their citizens to avoid Lebanon and for those already there to leave immediately.

Airlines, such as Lufthansa, have also cancelled scheduled flights over the past week.

Deadliest war for journalists in over 30 years, Al Jazeera banned

At least 166 journalists have been killed since October 7, mostly Palestinians, in what the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) described as the deadliest period for media professionals since the NGO began collecting data in 1992.

Journalists in Gaza are at risk of being wounded, arbitrarily detained and killed as they cover on-the-ground events in the war-hit enclave. Israel has been accused of deliberately targeting journalists given the high death toll.

Palestinian journalists aren't Israel's only targets, as Lebanese journalists have also been killed.

The latest media-related casualty is Mohammed Abu Saada, a photojournalist killed on Tuesday according to Gaza’s media office.

"When we lose a journalist, we lose our eyes and ears to the outside world. We lose a voice for the voiceless," Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in May, as UNSECO marked World Freedom Press Day.

Israel has also gone on to muzzle international reporting on Gaza. In May, the country’s cabinet unanimously voted to shut down Al Jazeera’s bureau in Israel, ordering a ban on any broadcast and a confiscation of equipment.

In June, Israel's telecoms regulator agreed to extend the ban on the Qatari network’s broadcasts by 45 days.  Shlomo Karhi, Israel’s Communications Minister, called Al Jazeera a "terrorist channel", which was then refuted.

Ceasefire, captives talks in jeopardy

Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have taken place on several occasions throughout the war, yielding little to no results. Truce talks were successful on one occasion, back in November when fighting was brought to a halt for a week, and several Israeli captives were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Ever since Haniyeh’s assassination and subsequent tensions, key mediators Egypt and Qatar have questioned Israel’s commitment to peace talks.

US President Joe Biden, a key ally to Israel, reportedly said Haniyeh’s killing was "poorly timed" as parties were in the middle of attempting to reach a breakthrough. Analysts have also suggested that negotiations are now unlikely due to the incident.

Rafah ground operations

On May 6, Israel began carrying out a military operation in Rafah, despite international warnings against such an attack.

Rafah, at the time, was home to over 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, who had fled in search of safety and shelter due to Israel’s bombing of several cities and towns in Gaza.

Israel ordered Palestinians to evacuate the city, forcing the displaced to relocate once again, this time to areas which were destroyed by Israel, and where little to no food was found.

The army then proceeded to attack Gaza’s southernmost city and captured its border with Egypt. Hundreds were killed as a result, and Rafah is still subject to assault, despite an International Court of Justice (ICJ) order against the offensive, issued on May 24.

Increasing number of countries recognise Palestinian state

In early May, several European countries decided to formally recognise the State of Palestine, increasing the number of those who officially acknowledge the territory as a sovereign state to 145 out of 193 UN member states.

Spain, Ireland and Norway were at the European forefront of such a move, angering Israel.

Irish PM Simon Harris said the decision was about "keeping hope alive" and "believing that a two-state solution is the only way for Israel and Palestine to live side by side in peace and security".

Slovenia and Armenia followed suit in June, though Yerevan has yet to establish diplomatic relations ties.

Across the Atlantic, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados also made decisions according to Palestine’s legitimacy in April and May.

Polio detected in Gaza

The highly-infectious Polio virus has been found in Gaza, according to health authorities in July, as waste, decay and rubble pile up in increasing amounts, as the war continues.

Gaza’s health ministry has warned that those living in crowded and unsanitary conditions are at risk of contracting the disease, which causes deformities and paralysis.

Tedros, The World Health Organization's (WHO) director general, warned that the detection of polio is a "serious reminder of the terrible conditions" Gazans are faced with.

Abuse against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prison

Sde Teiman, a notorious and secret Israeli prison in the Negev (Naqab) desert, made headlines in late July after Israel detained nine soldiers accused of abusing and raping a Palestinian man from Gaza. The abuse and injuries he endured promoted a doctor who was treating him to speak out, leading to the soldiers’ arrests.

The arrests, however, led to a far-right mob attacking the detention facility, and justified the attacks by saying that the soldiers were doing their duty".

In August, a leaked video showed soldiers showed a Palestinian man subject to such abuse by Israeli soldiers, amid mounting allegations of torture of Palestinian detainees.

At least 36 Palestinian detainees have died in the centre, where thousands of Gazans have passed through since October 7.

Growing number of countries join South Africa ICJ Genocide case

In December, South Africa filed a case with the ICJ accusing Israel of carrying out a genocide in Gaza. The international court ordered Israel to refrain from any acts which could fall under the Genocide Convention in January and requested that Israel ensure troops commit no acts of genocide in Gaza.

Israel dismissed the case afterwards, calling it baseless. In July, the ICJ went a step further and stated that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories was "illegal" and needed to end soon.

Following South Africa’s December filing, a number of other countries have joined or said they would join the case since, including Chile, Spain Egypt, Mexico and more recently - Turkey.

Famine warnings continue, malnutrition kills

Palestinians in Gaza have been faced with looming threats of famine, particularly in Gaza’s north. Reports have emerged on cases of malnutrition – resulting in the death of at least 34 Palestinians since the start of the war, especially children.

Malnutrition rates among children have increased by 300 percent since October 7, the UN said due to the limited availability of nutritious food, poor sanitation levels and diseases.