The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip demonstrates the failure and incompetence of all international institutions in this area. Two newborns died in the largest hospital in the region, and about five dozen children are at risk due to lack of fuel and oxygen. Why is it so problematic to evacuate the civilian population despite the efforts of the UN, the Red Cross, and other authoritative organizations that have experience in such measures?
A stream of victims
It is impossible to calculate the exact number of victims directly during intense hostilities. This information is provided by the leadership of Palestine. At the end of last week, they reported that approximately 11,000 civilians had died since October 7, and almost 40% of them were children under 18.
At the same time, two factors should be kept in mind:
– Religion. To the question of why there is such a high percentage of children among the dead, the answer is that the predominant religion of the Strip is Islam, where each family traditionally gives birth to many children, unlike, for example, in Europe.
– Data representativeness. It is necessary to understand that information about the number of dead children is a powerful mechanism of influence on the world community, so the Palestinian government can significantly overestimate the numbers, which, in fact, does not make the situation any less tragic.
That is why information about children whose lives ended in hospital incubators due to lack of fuel, electricity, and oxygen is crucial.
What is the problem?
Evacuation is a tough process. The following main problematic factors can be identified:
– Two-way process. From day one, Israel has been calling on the civilian population of Gaza to evacuate, but the IDF’s willingness to provide a “green corridor” alone is not enough. They still need the consent of Hamas, which has not taken steps to meet it.
– Manipulations. The presence of civilians in the territory where active hostilities are taking place is a significant deterrent to attacks by the Israeli army. So, for example, the commander of a Hamas company, Ahmed Siam, held hostage about 1,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza in a hospital.
– Difficulties with notification. Organizing the population to evacuate in a short period is not an easy task. There is no mobile communication, so it is difficult to convey information about the meeting place and all other nuances to people.
However, the IDF not only provides but also protects a corridor along which people wishing to leave the Gaza Strip will be able to be transported. Firstly, the evacuation was organized for those hiding in Nasser, Shifa, and Rantisi hospitals. Not everyone will use transport, but only those unable to move independently. Everyone else can walk down the corridor.
