Unveiling Rising Diplomatic Aid for Besieged Gaza amid Escalating Regional Tensions

Gaza is currently facing a severe crisis due to Israel's ongoing blockade and airstrikes, cautioned UN experts. There is growing worry that the situation could escalate further and endanger the safety of civilians seeking refuge, potentially involving regional adversaries in the enduring conflict.

In response to the unprecedented terrorist assaults by the Islamist extremist organization Hamas, which exerts control over the enclave, Israel has pledged to eliminate them. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that at least 1,400 individuals were killed and numerous others were taken hostage during Hamas' violent rampage. This has been referred to by US President Joe Biden as "the most horrific massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust."

Diplomatic efforts are intensifying to establish a humanitarian corridor for delivering urgently needed supplies to Gaza. Without these supplies, including clean drinking water, food, fuel, and medicine, the 2.3 million people living in the coastal strip will face an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, expressed deep concern about the situation, stating that Gaza is being strangled and emphasizing the crucial need for immediate aid. He stressed that water is essential for life, and without it, Gaza is rapidly running out of both water and life.

According to Lazzarini, Gaza has been completely cut off from essential supplies for the past eight days, leaving the people in the densely-populated strip in a desperate situation. As a result of Israeli airstrikes, hospitals in Gaza are in grave danger of shutting down soon as they lack the necessary fuel to operate crucial equipment, including ventilators and incubators. Marwan Jilani, the Director General of the Palestinian Red Crescent, informed CNN that they would run out of fuel by Monday or Tuesday.

On the verge of collapse, medical facilities are facing a dire shortage of painkillers, while numerous residents in Gaza are grappling with extreme dehydration caused by a scarcity of drinking water, as reported by medical NGO Medecins sans Frontieres. Various relief organizations have warned that fuel and essential supplies could be depleted within a matter of hours, rather than days.

People walk amid the destruction of houses and streets in Khan Younis, located in the southern Gaza Strip.

Mohamed Zaanoun/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

Currently in Gaza, there are 50,000 pregnant women, 5,000 of whom are expected to give birth in the next month. According to Dominic Allen, the UN Population Fund representative, these women are facing a "double nightmare" as they have to endure unsanitary conditions and the risk of health complications while being under the constant threat of bombs. Adding to the gravity of the situation is the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in northern Gaza, who are desperately trying to move south through the devastated streets to escape an imminent Israeli offensive that the IDF has announced would involve extensive airstrikes and major ground operations.

In just one week, UNRWAs Lazzarini revealed that a minimum of 1 million individuals were compelled to evacuate their residences. Meanwhile, there are around 400,000 displaced persons seeking refuge in UN schools and structures, despite the limited space available to accommodate such large numbers. Israeli President Isaac Herzog witnessed distressing scenes caused by the Hamas attack on Israeli homes and communities. He particularly mentioned a booklet that supposedly details the methods employed by the militant group for kidnapping and torturing individuals.

"My country is suffering, in anguish, and filled with sorrow. We are confronted with a merciless, inhumane adversary that we must eradicate without mercy," he expressed in an interview with CNN.

During a period of over a week, the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of at least 2,670 individuals, including numerous children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. They have accused the Israeli military of deliberately targeting medical personnel and their families.

Casualties in Gaza have exceeded the previous death toll from the 2014 Gaza-Israel conflict, spanning the last eight days. Simultaneously, it is suspected that Hamas is detaining approximately 150 Israelis and foreign citizens as captives within the intricate network of tunnels beneath Gaza.

Diplomatic efforts

Calls to open humanitarian corridors into Gaza have intensified in recent days, with notable figures and organizations such as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Pope Francis, and multiple nations and international aid agencies joining the cause. President Herzog revealed that he would be having another meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to address the establishment of a humanitarian corridor. However, any concrete plans to implement such a corridor would require the approval of the Israeli cabinet and government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the new national unity emergency government.

The US Secretary of State has recently concluded his visit to Israel and its neighboring countries, engaging in meetings with a range of leaders in the region. During his visit, Blinken made a commitment on Sunday regarding the Rafa border crossing, which is the sole access point into Gaza that Israel does not oversee. He assured that the crossing will remain open and emphasized the collaborative efforts between the US, the United Nations, Egypt, Israel, and other partners to coordinate relief initiatives.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticized Israel over the weekend, stating they had exceeded the boundaries of self-defense. To address the matter further, China's envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, announced his plans to visit the region this week.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to members of the media before leaving Cairo, Egypt, on October 15, en route to Jordan.

Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Reuters

There is a growing accumulation of aid on the Egyptian side of Rafa crossing, but unfortunately, the crossing remains inoperable. Egypt claims that the Gaza side has been impacted by airstrikes, rendering the roads impractical. Meanwhile, Jordan is seeking guarantees from Israeli warplanes that aid convoys will not be targeted.

According to Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog, Israel is in the process of creating a humanitarian zone in Gaza with the capacity to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people. However, the UN Secretary-General's spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, could not confirm whether the UN is collaborating with the Israeli government to establish such a zone.

It is uncertain whether water is currently being supplied to southern Gaza. The Israeli Prime Minister's office informed CNN on Sunday that water supply has been reinstated, however, the director of the Water Authority in the area stated that he was unsure of the availability of water due to the lack of restored electricity needed for water pumping.

IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus later mentioned that Israel has activated the necessary mechanisms to allow water to flow into southern Gaza. However, he clarified that he lacks precise information regarding the actual volume and specific location of the water flow.

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Military analyst: Hamas is losing the second phase of their plan already

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Regional concerns grow

Israel is currently fighting against Hamas, but it is also confronted with the possibility of a more extensive clash on different fronts. These include potential hostilities with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and potential flashpoints in Syria. The potential for a regional conflict has sparked concern among Western powers. French President Emmanuel Macron recently cautioned Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi about the escalation of the Gaza crisis. Additionally, the US has been bolstering its defense capabilities in the Middle East to deter any Iranian aggression and prevent the fighting from spreading beyond Israel's borders.

Additional US attack aircraft, including A-10 Warthogs, were deployed to the Middle East on Sunday, joining squadrons of already deployed fighter jets. This deployment comes in addition to two US carrier strike groups that have been deployed to the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Israeli soldiers gather on and around a tank near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel on October 15.

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated in an interview with CBS Sunday that although no new intelligence has been received, there has been a change in the threat level posed by Iran. He expressed concern over the potential escalation of the conflict, attributing it to the opening of a second front in the north and Iran's involvement.

The skirmishes occurring between Israel and Hezbollah along Israel's northern border with Lebanon only increase the likelihood of further escalation, remarked Sullivan. He emphasized the need to be prepared for all potential scenarios, as it is a possibility that Iran could directly involve itself. Iran has cautioned about the repercussions that may result from ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Contributing to the reporting were Richard Allen Greene, Ben Wedeman, Hamdi Alkhshali, Jasmine Wright, Nikki Carvajal, Sehar Ahmed, Chloe Liu, Niamh Kennedy, Mostafa Salem, Duarte Mendonca, Xiaofei Xu, Radina Gigova, Zachary Cohen, Yong Xiong, and Sharon Braithwaite from CNN.