TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —The Israeli army told over 1 million Palestinians living in Gaza to evacuate on Friday (Oct. 13) ahead of an expected ground offensive in response to a surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 8.
The United Nations (UN) said it would be impossible to achieve such a movement of people “without devastating humanitarian consequences.” It follows days of rocket fire exchanged between Israel and Hamas that has killed over 2,800 people on both sides.
The UN called the request “impossible.” It follows days of rocket fire exchanged between Israel and Hamas, and Israel’s stated intention to “annihilate” Hamas.
The UN has moved its operations center away from conflict hotspots in Gaza and urged Israeli authorities to not target civilians in its shelters, including schools. It said more than 400,000 people have already fled their homes in Gaza.
The director of the International Red Cross called the human misery caused by the escalation “abhorrent.” “I implore the sides to reduce the suffering of civilians,” he said.
As the world pays greater attention to the conflict, H.K., a Palestinian living in Taiwan who asked that his name be changed, told Taiwan News that focusing on the events since Oct. 8 cannot fully explain the situation. H.K. is from Palestine’s West Bank and is a postdoctoral researcher at a Taiwan university.
Taiwan, like many Western countries, is focusing on the violence that began last Saturday, he said. “To really understand the history of the conflict, you need to look back 100 years, or at least the last 10,” he said.
H.K. also expressed agreement with the view of Palestine’s ambassador to the U.K., who on Oct. 9 said that the solution to the conflict lay in the “equal application of international resolutions and law.”
In Oct. 2022 a UN commission of inquiry found that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories was illegal. “The actions of Israeli Governments reviewed in our report constitute an illegal occupation and annexation regime that must be addressed,” a UN commissioner said.
H.K. also warned about conflating Hamas with Palestine as a whole. “Hamas is not the government of Palestine,” he said.
Palestinians search for casualties under rubble in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip on Friday. (Reuters, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa photo)
In terms of the international reaction, H.K. said he feels Israeli and Palestinian actions have been treated differently. “You should punish all, or not punish anyone,” H.K. said.
In his native West Bank, Israeli forces frequently kill Palestinians, even while Hamas’ presence has mostly been removed from this area, he said. “But no one says anything about this,” he added.
On Tuesday (Oct. 10), Reuters reported that Israeli forces had killed at least 27 Palestinians in the West Bank since Hamas’ surprise attack on Saturday. Palestine’s foreign ministry said its citizens were killed by either Israeli security forces or citizens who had settled in the area.
According to Human Rights Watch, a record number of Palestinian children were killed by Israeli military and police in 2022, and it is predicted that in 2023 the number would be the same or higher. Israeli forces were described as acting with “systematic impunity.”
H.K. said he was asked by a Taiwanese person, who likened Hamas to Al Qaeda, why the group attacked Israel. H.K. replied that Hamas is not like Al Qaeda, and fights for what they think is right, not for terror.
Hamas has been designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., Australia, the E.U., Japan, the U.K., Israel, Paraguay, and the Organization of American States (OAS). Others, including some Palestinians, believe the group is fighting for Palestinian liberation from Israeli occupation.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry and president have joined most of the Western world in putting their full support behind Israel and its retaliation against Hamas. Taiwanese Muslim and teacher of Middle Eastern studies at Taichung’s Feng Chia University Cindy Hsueh (薛珍華) said it was correct to condemn the violence.
“The violence is in no way okay,” Hsueh told Taiwan News. “But when I say violence should not be allowed, it means for both parties, not just for Hamas.”
She said she was surprised about the positive media reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration of war against Hamas, because of what it would mean for Palestinians in Gaza. “But the problem is most people equate Hamas with Muslims and Palestinians, which is totally wrong,” she said.
Aftermath of Israeli strikes, in the Gaza Strip on Friday. (Reuters, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa photo)
