It's been too many years now that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rages without stopping and with a strong escalation of tensions and violence between Arabs and Jews. A war that has further escalated since 7 October 2023, the day that Hamas (a Palestinian political and paramilitary group) attacked Israel, sparking Israel's subsequent assault on the Gaza Strip, which resulted in killings and displacement that generated a humanitarian catastrophe Without precedents.
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The conflict then spread to West Bank, where human rights violations are the order of the day, along with uncontrolled mass killings.
Hence the urgent need for a cease-fire and the intervention of the Humanitarian Organizations in aid of the victims of the war in Palestine, such as Doctors Without Borders. MSF is present in these lands to provide specialized medical services and offer support to the overloaded local health system, often working at the limits of safety and under constant threats. A situation that continues to remain serious.
War in Palestine: the stages of 2024
In the early months of 2024, the conflict in Palestine has strongly intensified, with Israel having multiplied the military operations in the Gaza Strip, hitting civilian infrastructure and residential neighborhoods through bombings and ground attacks. Also on the rise were the clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank, with thousands of civilian casualties.
All this has caused a lack of food, water and medical supplies for the population. Hence the intervention of the United States, Egypt and Qatar through ceasefire requests, which however only led to brief truces, interrupted by new offensives and the opening of investigations into possible human rights violations by the International Criminal Court.
In the summer of 2024, however, the war in Palestine further expanded into southern Lebanon, revealing how every attempt at peace has been a flop. Between July and August, there were new demands to stop operations in Gaza and release hostages still in the hands of Hamas, while the civilian population continued to face famine, with the health system now in collapse.
The last months of 2024 have seen a peace proposal, by former Israeli and Palestinian leaders, based on two states, with shared management of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammed Deif and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on charges of war crimes against the Palestinian population. Despite these small steps forward, however, Israel has maintained its blockade on humanitarian aid, further precipitating the crisis.
The current situation
In the first month of 2025, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar. The agreement mainly includes three crucial phases.
A first stop the conflict (January 19, 2025), lasting six weeks, with Israel's gradual withdrawal from urban areas of Gaza and the liberation of 33 hostages and over 1.000 Palestinian prisoners. Subsequently, a permanent ceasefire, with the release of the remaining hostages and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Finally, theopening of negotiations for the reconstruction and future administration of Gaza.
However, there is still a lot to do since humanitarian point of view, with the populations involved paying an immense physical and psychological toll and with the Humanitarian Organizations who are working tirelessly to bring aid and give maximum support to the victims. An emergency that is far from over and that requires urgent and immediate interventions.
Article published on March 24, 2025 - 10pm
The situation in Palestine is really complex and difficult. There are too many problems that cannot be solved and the violence continues to increase. Organizations like MSF do important work but it takes much more to help people.