on tuesday, antonio guterres from the un high commission on refugees pointed out that gaza is the only conflict that is happening anywhere on earth from which the civilian population is not allowed to flee.
the text of the statement is here, in french:
UNHCR | Gaza : « Le seul conflit au monde où les personnes n'ont même pas la possibilité de fuir », a déclaré António Guterres
he demanded, in the way that one does in such situations, that the borders to gaza be opened on all sides to allow the civilian population to escape from it.
strangely, this did not seem to get a whole lot of press.
maybe because the fact that not only has this not happened, but also that the unrwa suspended aid work in gaza after drivers of un trucks were killed provides more perspective on what is actually going on here than anything else.
what's more the red cross has claimed that their ability to deliver basic first aid is being obstructed by the idf.
if the israelis wanted only to crush hamas militarily, they could easily have allowed the civilians to flee--but in the twisted logic that dominates this horrific situation, if they opened the borders, hamas would be understood as having won something. so they keep it closed--and egypt, which also wants to see something bad happen to hamas, also keeps its border closed.
if you look at what's happening here, all the justifications turn to ash. to nothing. not even worth the breath to say them.
there is no justification.
none.