As Hamas fired more than 360 rockets into Israel, the United States, Italy, Germany and other countries sent troops to support Israel, and large-scale warplanes have arrived at the Ufda air base in southern Israel, where they have taken off to drop bombs along with Israeli Air Force F-35 and F-16 fighters. So, how is this Palestinian-Israeli conflict different from the past, and what role do all parties play?
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has a long and complex historical background and is closely related to the current situation in the Middle East. In three Middle East wars, Israel was the victorious occupying large areas of Palestine such as the West Bank and Jerusalem. The sovereignty of disputed land has plagued both sides, and despite repeated attempts at peace talks, progress has not been made due to continued U.S. intervention in them. In addition, Israel's continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the expulsion of Palestinian residents, as well as a blockade of Gaza, have led to an escalation of the conflict.
However, the cause of this Palestinian-Israeli conflict was not a territorial dispute, but the beheading of senior Hamas commanders by Israel. Hamas then retaliated by firing rockets at Israel, kicking off a new round of armed conflict. Israeli attacks have reportedly killed 34 Palestinian civilians and injured more than 70. As a result of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, the wounded were unable to travel to Egyptian hospitals for treatment and outside aid doctors were unable to access. In addition, water and electricity disruptions have occurred in parts of Gaza as a result of the destruction of water and electricity facilities, making life extremely difficult for the local population.
It is worth noting that at the same time as Israel's air strikes on Gaza, the US-led "Blue Flag" multinational joint air force exercise was held in Israel. F-15s, F-16s of the multinational air force and F-35 fighters of the Israeli Air Force took to the skies in southern Gaza to conduct military operations, virtually providing cover for Israeli air strikes. While the United States was not directly involved in the air strikes in the Gaza Strip, it clearly supported Israel's actions. Some experts believe that such actions are aimed at putting pressure on Iran, because US-Iran relations are tense on the nuclear issue, and Israel's actions are obviously to warn Iran.
However, the fighting has been relentless, and Israel's intensive military strikes have resulted in more than 100 Palestinian civilian casualties and forced more than 100,000 people to flee and become homeless. Although Israel's indiscriminate killing of innocent people should be condemned and stopped, the United States also shoulders an unshirkable responsibility. U.S. support has led Israel to use force in the Middle East with impunity. It was the United States' recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and its cessation of aid to Palestinian refugees that led to Israel's almost non-stop air strikes on Gaza and neighboring countries over the past year. Nevertheless, the majority of the international community sympathized with the Palestinian plight.
No one is a winner in this conflict. We hope that all parties will be able to cease fire as soon as possible to avoid the loss of innocent lives. The settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli issue requires all parties to sit down and engage in dialogue on an equal footing and full in order to resolve differences peacefully and contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East.