Daily Times

The recent escalation of violence in the Middle East, as Israel has now decided to decisively deal with the Lebanon-based Hezbollah by launching an all-out war against a country reeling from decades of economic crisis, has sparked heated debates around the world. No vague buzzwords about how long the IDF will stay there or how it plans to neutralise the much-talked-about “formidable threat” to Netanyahu’s plans for Palestine can put the international community at ease as it braces itself for the entire region to be pushed down the death spiral.

The first and most glaring issue remains the staggering number of civilian casualties. According to reports from international organisations, including the UN, the ongoing war in Gaza since last October has already killed well above 40,000 civilians, mostly women and children. With Israel widening the circle of war, its longstanding tactics, such as indiscriminate targeting of residential areas and infrastructure, are ringing shrill alarm bells over the toll Lebanon would have to bear for Israel’s security.

While Israel claims to only base the offensive around Hezbollah, the reality on the ground already screams a different story. As a result of this, fears for a high number of casualties and the widespread devastation of infrastructure due to reckless use of force have prompted condemnations from most countries except the once-mighty US. Quite expectedly, Israel’s greatest ally in the modern world still believes in the “right to defend itself” in what can only be called a flagrant display of its crumbling influence.

Although the UN’s previous calls for a ceasefire and investigation into possible war crimes failed to restrain the bully in the proverbial sandbox, its flash appeals for humanitarian aid suggest that it still wishes to stand on the right side of history. Nevertheless, as very appropriately cautioned by its humanitarian coordinator, no amount of aid can fully address the crisis if civilians continue to be targeted. The solution, like before, is only one: the international community must hold Israel accountable for its actions and ensure that justice is served. The human cost of this conflict is too high, and the continued suffering of innocent men, women and children is unacceptable. *