Catastrophic Wars: From Ukraine To Palestine, 'Humanity' Is The Casualty

All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal
- John Steinbeck

“My grandmother my whole world the light of my life. The pillar of my life, in my family’s life…” Mor Baydor, an Israeli woman, had the “nightmare of her life” when she saw a purported video of her grandmother being killed by Hamas militants, at the home where the elderly woman stayed. “A terrorist came home to her, killed her, took her phone, filmed the horror and published it on her Facebook wall. This is how we found out,” Bayder said.

Somewhere close to her home, a young couple, Shlomi and Shachar, were murdered by the militants at their home leaving their infant an orphan. A few days earlier, a disturbing video of a young German woman being kidnapped and barely covered by the behind of a truck surrounded by Palestinian soldiers, a few hours after the attack on Gaza went viral. Her face isn't visible, but her characteristic dreadlocks and tattoos helped her family identify her.

These incidents perhaps make a drop in an ocean of hostages, murder, brutal killings, and being executed by Palestine and Israeli forces as the war-like situation worsens in the Middle East following Hama's sudden attack on Gaza on October 7. Heart-wrenching visuals of cries of citizens and bloodshed have flooded social media and TV screens, as the entire world once more witnesses the waves of trauma and distress, wars bring on humanity.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a stern warning to Hamas with his government reportedly mobilising 3,00,000 troops. "Israel is at war. We didn't want this war. It was forced upon us in the most brutal and savage way. But though Israel didn't start this war, Israel will finish it," Netanyahu told the nation, hours after declaring a siege on Gaza. “We are putting a complete siege on Gaza. … No electricity, no food, no water, no gas – it’s all closed,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a video statement on Monday, justifying the move by describing Palestinians as “beastly people”.

The decision to cut electricity, water and fuel supplies to Gaza, which has already been under an Israeli siege for 16 years, has been condemned by the United Nations as a collective punishment. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 3,000 injured in Israeli strikes that have targeted residential buildings and offices in the enclave – home to 2.3 million people.

Israel controls most water resources in the Palestinian territories, in one of the world’s most water-stressed regions. Experts say the bombing and destruction of Gaza’s already weak water infrastructure will only make matters worse in an area where gastrointestinal, liver and skin problems exist already due to a severe lack of clean water.

What happens to these people when the war ends or does not end? Where do they flee? Where do they go to secure their basic needs? What happens to the families of those killed and children, who have been witnesses to murderous acts? What happens to those lives in Gaza, which would now not even receive water? War has often been a primary cause of a humanitarian emergency. 

An example of the prolonged humanitarian crisis of war comes floating when we look at Ukraine, a year after Russia's invasion. According to several reports from the ground and aid agencies, to date, Ukraine is suffering a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The outflow of millions of refugees has placed a strain on neighbouring countries.

UN data estimates that a population of nearly 13 million people have been displaced --- both internal and external --- from Ukraine; that is nearly the country’s one-third pre-war population. This only adds to the rising refugee crisis that has gripped Europe with neighbouring countries going to war.

The continuous Russian airstrikes have destroyed Ukraine’s infrastructure, healthcare system, power plants, dams, and so on, leaving millions of people at the mercy of outside people. In the cold and harsh winters, Ukrainians were reported to have no access to water, or electricity, and when sickness overtakes them, the healthcare system remains with inadequate resources.  Millions more around the country continue to have little to no access to heat, clean water, and other basic supplies. A December 2022 World Bank estimate puts the likely cost of reconstruction at up to $641 billion. The UN human rights mission in Ukraine expressed concern regarding reports that Ukrainian prisoners of war have contracted diseases including hepatitis A and tuberculosis.

From time immemorial, armed conflicts and civil wars have given rise to famine, death, and refugee crises. Wars inflict shortages of food, water, and supply of basic resources accompanied by mass starvation. It often creates severe disruption of economic activities, threatening the means of survival. History is a witness to it.

Hence, in 2018, for the first time, the UN Security Council, addressing this issue, passed a unanimous resolution urging conflicting parties to leave food stocks, farm stocks, and other distribution mechanisms to supply basic needs to its population intact. It also reiterated that countries at war, should not use food insecurity and starvation as a tactic of war. It urged that aid workers be given unimpeded access to cater to the mass, victims of war.

However, such a resolution does not seem to have brought in much change as the situation in Gaza looks worrying for world leaders, activists, and aid workers. According to a report by BBC, 80 per cent of Gaza's population rely on humanitarian aid mainly due to the ongoing hostilities with Israel. It is ruled by Hamas militants but Israel controls the airspace and its shoreline, restricting who and what goods can cross its borders. The report added that even before the latest restrictions, residents of Gaza already faced widespread food insecurity, restrictions on movement and water shortages.

The World Food Programme states that 15 years of blockade in Gaza, aggravated by one of the world’s highest unemployment rates and deep poverty, leaves the humanitarian situation dire. In the West Bank, settlement activity and related violence, loss of land, destruction of property, and restricted access to basic services continue undermining Palestinians’ livelihoods.