Middle East | The war in Gaza continues quietly

Distraction from war: Displaced Palestinian children watch a film amid the rubble of destroyed buildings. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/AP/Jehad Alshrafi The Gaza Strip, which is only 40 kilometers long, has dominated the front pages of major daily newspapers worldwide almost every day since October 2023. With the ceasefire agreed last October and the American-Israeli attack on Iran, other sources of conflict are in the media spotlight. “The situation has actually hardly changed,” says Abed Qusini. The Palestinian journalist has reported for Reuters and other international media for over 25 years and now trains young colleagues in West Bank refugee camps. Colleagues in Gaza receive help via video conferences.

"You are now the only ones reporting on the ongoing humanitarian crisis," says Qusini. The daily attacks by settlers in the West Bank and the air strikes in Gaza show that the war has only changed its appearance, "but we Palestinians are still in a fight for survival."

Bombs no longer fall every day, but they are more targeted. Last Thursday, a rocket hit the Al-Shati refugee camp, killing Mohammad Abdel Salam Al-Jazuri. Hamas confirmed the death of the senior commander over the weekend. Rockets had fatally injured at least two other Hamas officers in the previous days, one of whom had just been released from Israeli custody. Also on Thursday, Muamen Ahmad, his wife and their eight- and 12-year-old daughters died in northern Gaza. In this case, too, the Israeli army spoke of the targeted killing of a Hamas official without mentioning his wife and children.

At least 1,360 Palestinians have died in Israeli attacks since the weapons were officially silenced in October last year. "The area bombing was probably stopped under pressure from the US government," says Mohammad Al-Astal, the vice-president of the Palestinian Journalists' Association, to the "nd". “But my colleagues also have to expect to be targeted by drones during their work and with their families.”

»We live in tents and will freeze again next winter. But we see how other displaced people are doing in Jordan or Lebanon. Even after decades, they have neither passports nor real rights. We stay in our homeland at all costs.«

The American Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) documented the attacks on Ezaldin Albtesh (Ez Al-Din Al-Batesch) and Ali Jahjouh (Ali Jahdschuh) in early September. Both reporters were pursued by drones and injured by missiles. Albtesh works for the Hamas publication "Al-Rai", Jahjouh for the website "Al-Mayadeen", which is close to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. "The political orientation of the media is already enough to justify the attempted killing of journalists," criticizes Al-Astal. “How is reconstruction and the democratization much talked about by the international community supposed to take place under such circumstances?”

From the perspective of many Israeli government politicians, this is not a contradiction. Defense Minister Israel Katz last week reiterated his plan to expel all residents of the Gaza Strip. “By sea, by plane or by any other conceivable route,” said Katz at a conference in Tel Aviv. According to Katz, US President Donald Trump has only put his support for the idea on hold, but not canceled it. Security Minister Itamar Ben Gwir has already given the plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza its own name: “Detachment 710” (Disengagement).

Ben Gwir, who lives in an illegal settlement in the West Bank under international law, wants to persuade the two million Palestinians to leave the country "voluntarily" within seven years. If he is re-elected, he wants to set up a ministry for migration. However, the residents of the Gaza Strip want to stay - despite the devastating destruction and the continued critical medical situation due to the ongoing blockade of numerous aid supplies.

According to the Zman Yisrael news service, 10,500 Palestinians left Gaza last year and 6,000 returned. Most travelers required further treatment for serious injuries or chronic illnesses. From the perspective of Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, the numbers prove otherwise. There would be no forced departures from Gaza, Saar assured during a visit to Slovenia last week.

There is increasing global outrage over the living conditions in Gaza, over the de facto ban on reconstruction due to the blockade of building materials and the continued shelling despite the ceasefire. If the blatant announcement of the expulsion of Gaza's residents is implemented, those responsible will likely have to answer before international courts.

Ben Gwir's attempt to remove the status of a war crime from his plan by adding "voluntary" is repeatedly countered by populist remarks: "Instead of digging tunnels, it's time to pack your bags," is one of his slogans during the election campaign.

The Palestinians in Gaza that “nd” spoke to on the phone want to stay. “We live in tents and will freeze again next winter,” says Khaula, a volunteer with the Red Crescent aid organization from Gaza City. »But we see how other displaced people are doing in Jordan or Lebanon. Even after decades, they have neither passports nor real rights. We stay in our homeland at all costs.«

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