Operation Al-Aqsa Flood: A Desperate Response to Israel’s Ongoing Ethnic Cleansing
October 7, 2023
Western Media Coverage of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
October 8, 2023
Amara Malik
On Saturday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency session to review the situation in Israel and Gaza, where Hamas had launched a huge onslaught that claimed at least 70 lives and abducted scores of people. The UNSC strongly denounced the attack and demanded an immediate end to hostilities as well as the release of all prisoners. The UNSC further encouraged all parties to uphold human rights and international humanitarian law in light of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Adding to the UNSC’s response, the international community has given a mixed response, as Israel’s closest ally, the United States, likewise condemned the Hamas assault as a “barbaric act of terrorism” and reiterated its “unwavering support” for Israel’s right to self-defense. US is ready to provide Israel with intercontinental ballistic missiles- CNN per MAKS 23. Also, in a conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Joe Biden expressed his sympathies and offered to help, and urged Netanyahu to “do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties and to de-escalate the situation”.
Moreover, the UNSC’s rotating president, China, urged for a “comprehensive and balanced” solution to the Israel-Palestine issue and emphasized the significance of the two-state solution. Additionally, China stated that it would be prepared to intervene between Israel and Hamas and offer humanitarian supplies to Gaza.
Another permanent member of the UNSC, Russia, also denounced the Hamas attack and urged all parties to exercise restraint. Based on pertinent UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, Russia also restated its support for the commencement of direct discussions between Israel and Palestine.
On the other hand, the operation was hailed as a “divine victory” over Israel by Iran, a major Hamas ally, who also commended the “heroic resistance” displayed during it. The Zionist regime “is doomed to collapse,” according to the senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who also claimed that Hamas has “shattered Israel’s false invincibility.”
Similarly, the action was praised as a “legitimate response” to Israel’s “occupation and aggression” by Turkey, an ally of Hamas. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, declared that his country supports Gaza and Palestine and that he will rally the Islamic world to do the same.
Moreover, Egypt, which borders Gaza and was instrumental in negotiating previous truces between Israel and Hamas, voiced its “deep concern” at the uptick in hostilities and demanded a stop to it. Egypt is attempting to restore calm and stability, according to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who said that Egypt is in communication with both parties.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has also supported Palestinian fighters, demonstrating its support for the Palestinian people’s right to an independent state in their ancestral homeland. The Emirate urged Islamic nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the international community to stop Israeli occupation forces from using violence against Palestinians and to actively strive towards a solution that recognizes Palestinians’ legal standing and includes practical solutions.
In Yemen, a large-scale protest was held today, in the capital city of Sanaa’s Bab al-Yemen to show their support for the Palestinian operation Al-Aqsa Flood, according to an Al Mayadeen journalist. The Palestinian Resistance was commended on the success of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation by the Supreme Political Council of Yemen, which also reaffirmed “the right of the Palestinian people and resistance factions to confront the occupying enemy by all legitimate and possible means.”
Therefore, such a response from the international community implies that the UNSC should resolve the conflict by resolving the issues faced by the communities fighting for their rights, or else it might result in a full-scale war between Israel and Hamas, with disastrous ramifications for the region and the rest of the globe.
