International mediation bid underway as Gaza seethes

Editor's note: There are no signs of letup in violence in Gaza as the conflict enters the 11th month. China Daily looks at the international community's efforts in finding a solution as well as humanitarian crisis on the strip.

With both the death toll and humanitarian situation rapidly worsening in Gaza, the international community has made continued efforts to end the conflict, with the UN Security Council adopting at least four resolutions, namely Resolution 2712, 2720, 2728 and 2735.

The resolutions call for an immediate cease-fire, the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas, the need to expand the flow of humanitarian goods into the Gaza Strip, and reinforce the protection of civilians in the conflict zone.

However, until now, there have been no signs of a letup in the conflict despite the diplomatic efforts, not even after the Paris Summer Olympics torch was lighted on July 26.

The desperate appeals from the families of Israeli hostages, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to bring their loved ones home, have fallen on deaf ears.

An advisory from the International Court of Justice, published on July 19, declared that Israel's laws and measures violate the international prohibition on racial segregation and apartheid.

The court also demanded that Israel end its occupation of Palestinian territories, dismantle its settlements in the West Bank, provide full reparations to Palestinian victims and facilitate the return of displaced people.

But all these consolidated efforts, legal advice and international opinion continue to be ignored.

A series of international condemnations and resolutions largely aimed at preventing Israel's military strikes on the Gaza Strip have done little to improve the conditions of aid worker Nebal Farsakh and her colleagues, as well as the 2 million Palestinians struggling for survival in their homeland.

Despite the existence of international humanitarian laws, "our teams have been strategically and repeatedly targeted", which has resulted in the killing of 19 Palestine Red Crescent Society members up to this moment, Farsakh, a spokesperson for the group, told China Daily.

Farsakh noted that while several United Nations resolutions have been passed to restrain Israel since the conflict in Gaza began, these have had no direct impact on their work — in terms of ensuring the aid workers' safety.

She said the group's objective is to ensure "the protection of our staff, the humanitarians, medical personnel and medical facilities" so they can continue to provide lifesaving work.

On Aug 3, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies confirmed the death of one of their own — Tamer Jalal Muhammad Saqr — who died after he was shot during an Israeli raid on the Balata refugee camp east of Nablus in the West Bank on July 27. He was helping the wounded civilians after a blast killed two people and injured more than 20 others.

On Aug 8, the US-based food aid charity World Central Kitchen said on its X account that Nadi Sallout, an integral member of the warehouse team from the early days in Rafah and a humanitarian at his very core, was killed near Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

On April 1, seven of its staff, which included citizens from the US, Australia, Britain and Poland, were killed after the Israeli military attacked their three-vehicle convoy despite being clearly marked with logos of the organization.

The schools in Gaza are not safe either. On Aug 4, at least 25 Palestinians were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit the al-Nasr and Hassan Salama schools in Gaza City, Xinhua News Agency reported. Many of the victims were children and women. Israeli Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the attack was aimed at militants operating inside Palestinian schools.