Israel’s relentless and vicious war in Gaza, which it has waged for over three months in response to the horrendous Hamas terror attacks on October 7, runs the risk of turning into a full-blown conflict involving regional players.
To a certain extent, the conflict has already widened considerably: the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging near-daily fire since the Gaza war began.
In Iraq, pro-Iranian militants have launched numerous attacks against US forces in the region. In the Red Sea, Iranian-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen have been behind attacks on merchant ships. And Israel has launched repeated air raids on Syria, hitting mainly Hezbollah and Iranian targets.
Thankfully, Iran is not yet directly involved in this conflict and the clashes between Hezbollah and Israel have mainly been restricted to the border area. However, Israel has shown no signs of wanting to end this war or to agree to a ceasefire and recent events over the last week are serious cause for concern.
A drone strike in southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, killed a senior leader of Hamas, Saleh al-Arouri, prompting Hezbollah chief, Hassan Nasrallah to promise retaliation and promising that Hezbollah would fight “without rules” if Israel attacked Lebanon.
In the same week, two suicide bomb attacks killed almost 100 people at a ceremony in Iran marking the anniversary of the assassination by the US of Revolutionary Guards General Qassem Soleimani. ISIS claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks, suggesting the jihadists are trying to take advantage of the turmoil in the region.
Then, in a strike in south Lebanon, on Monday, Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander, Wissam Tawil, the most senior Hezbollah official killed so far in the conflict.
The situation is getting increasingly dangerous and could soon spiral out of control. And recent comments by hard-right Israeli ministers calling for Palestinians to leave Gaza through “emigration”, making way for Israeli settlers, only serve to inflame an already very volatile situation.
The only way of preventing a broader war is for Israel to stop bombing Gaza.
The United States, the only country with real leverage over Israel, must urge Israel to agree to a permanent ceasefire.
Washington’s exaggerated support for Israel is ruining its reputation not only in the Arab world but also among the wider international community where it often preaches respect for international law and human rights.
Over 23,000 Palestinians – mostly civilians and half of them children –have been killed so far by the Israeli military, which is conducting a brutal and illegal war with no concern at all for the humanitarian crisis or the mass displacement of the population. The United Nations has said that Gaza is on the brink of starvation.
How is all this acceptable?
There is certainly no end game in sight for Israel, which seems intent on continuing this war until it ‘destroys’ Hamas, which is not going to happen.
The longer Israel keeps on attacking Gaza, the more radicalised the Palestinians will become and the higher the risk of a massive escalation involving Iran and Lebanon. We certainly do not want to arrive at such a situation.
Both the United States and Europe must insist on a ceasefire, the resumption of the peace process aimed at a two-state solution, an end to illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and an economic, political and security plan for Gaza post-ceasefire with the participation of the United Nations.
This will not be easy given the current situation but too much is at stake to carry on with the status quo.