EARLY on Saturday morning, Israel struck a school sheltering around 2,400 displaced Palestinians in Gaza City. At least 100 people have been reported killed in this atrocity. The accounts given by eyewitnesses are horrifying; many of the bodies were charred and dismembered.

When TTP terrorists struck the APS in Peshawar a decade ago, there was worldwide revulsion at the fact that the militants had slaughtered over 140 people, primarily minors. While that tragedy has not been forgotten by Pakistan, Israel has been unleashing similarly monstrous violence upon Gaza’s civilians since last October.

Throughout this one-sided conflict — perhaps better described as a genocidal campaign — Tel Aviv has hardly batted an eyelid as it hit schools, hospitals and people queuing for food, all in the name of targeting Hamas. Even after the latest tragedy, Israel said it had hit “Hamas terrorists and commanders”. Does this justify the burning alive and dismemberment of countless non-combatants, including children, in the process? Clearly, in Israel’s twisted worldview, it does.

Can Tel Aviv’s assertions that it is ready to discuss a ceasefire really be taken seriously in the aftermath of such bloodbaths? The US, Qatar and Egypt have recently called for resuming truce talks. But it appears that Israel is only playing for time, and is not serious about peace, or else it would not slaughter 100 people after agreeing to attend the talks. The fact is that the longer the slaughter in Gaza continues, the longer Benjamin Netanyahu can cling to power. Perhaps this is a reason why the Israeli prime minister is determined to set the Middle East on fire by provoking Iran and its armed regional allies. If a bigger conflagration ensues, Mr Netanyahu can claim he is defending his country from ‘evil’ Iran, and most of his Western friends may lap it up.

There are considerable chances of the war expanding. Iranian and Israeli and US officials have been exchanging combative rhetoric; it is perhaps only a matter of time before these verbal attacks turn into an actual confrontation. The US has reportedly asked one of its carrier strike groups to speed up its arrival in the Middle East, while its defence secretary has been regularly exchanging notes with the Israeli defence minister. None of this bodes well for the region, or for the larger international community. Clearly, the West is unwilling to rein in Israel. On Monday, the UK, Germany and France called upon Iran not to “escalate”. Perhaps they would be better off advising Tel Aviv to stop murdering civilians in Gaza, and end the campaign of assassinations in Iran, Lebanon and Syria. Unless Israel is muzzled, there will be no peace in the Middle East, and the chances of escalation will gather pace.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2024