Israel-Hamas

Gaza Strip remains sealed off, while in the West, concerns are growing over the rampant misinformation surrounding a conflict that risks further dividing the international community.

Currently, there is no ceasefire in place, nor is there an entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza in exchange for the departure of foreign citizens. After hours of confusion, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied the news of the reopening of the Rafah crossing, at the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians in the enclave are, therefore, still within the territory, where over the weekend, there was a continuous exodus to the southern part of the Strip. The anticipated ground offensive, announced by the Israeli army and expected by many observers, has not occurred yet. Under strong American pressure, the government of Tel Aviv has resumed the water supply to the Strip after a two-day suspension. Meanwhile, the death toll from the airstrikes – launched in the aftermath of Hamas's brutal attack on Israeli territory, which claimed the lives of over 1,400 people – has risen to at least 2,750 Palestinians killed and over 9,000 injured. The number of hostages in the hands of Hamas has also been updated: it is now reported to be 199, not approximately 150 as previously believed. These individuals have been captured by Islamist fighters and taken into Palestinian territory. On the political front, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to Israel today, following a tour of allied Arab countries, as part of a delicate diplomatic mission aimed at protecting the civilian population and preventing the war between Hamas and Israel from further inflaming the entire region. During an interview on CBS, U.S. President Joe Biden warned that a new Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip would be a "serious mistake."

Escalation on the Lebanese Border?

The fear of an expansion of the conflict is becoming more real, as demonstrated by the Israeli government's decision to evacuate residents from areas in the north of the country within 2 kilometers of the Lebanese border. This order follows ongoing gunfights with Shiite Hezbollah militias in southern Lebanon. The plan involves evacuating 28 settlements, with their residents being relocated to state-subsidized pensions. Yesterday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) military personnel also reported that their headquarters in the southern city of Naqoura was hit by a rocket during clashes at the border. No injuries were reported. Two days ago, a Reuters journalist, Issam Abdallah, was killed by an Israeli artillery shell near the village of Alma al Shaab. Six other colleagues, reporters from international news agencies Al Jazeera, Agence France Presse, and Reuters, who were on the scene to cover the border clashes, were injured in the explosion. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has revealed that 11 Palestinian reporters have been killed since the start of the bombings in the Gaza Strip.

War on Fake News?

While tensions remain high, and diplomatic efforts are being made to defuse the escalation, another front has caught the attention of experts: the spread of disinformation on the internet and social media platforms disseminating false or manipulated content related to the conflict. This phenomenon has reached alarming proportions, with approximately 100 times more fake content about the conflict going viral. After the European Union's call for action, TikTok announced that it had deleted over 500,000 videos and 8 million live streams, while X (formerly Twitter) and Meta are also under investigation. "Online lies are off the charts, sparking intense reactions in multiple time zones, with significant global and social implications," noted Jean-Claude Goldenstein, CEO of the CREOpoint business intelligence group, who said that the phenomenon is "unprecedented" in terms of its scale and reach. Experts are also concerned about the use of these platforms to incite violence and threats. On Friday, New York Attorney General Letitia James asked Google, Meta, X, TikTok, Reddit, and the video platform Rumble about the measures they had taken to stop the spread of content that "incites hatred and encourages violence against Jewish and Muslim people and institutions."

The West and the Global South Divided on Palestine?

As the days pass, the conflict between Israel and Hamas is revealing its divisive potential within an international community that has never been so polarized. While the October 7 attack by Islamist militants had sparked a wave of outrage and broad support for Israel, Tel Aviv's response in Gaza now risks alienating some of that support. Similar to the situation during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, several countries do not intend to take sides in favor of either party and, while condemning all forms of violence, call for a ceasefire. For example, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that Israel is "going beyond" in Gaza and called for stopping the collective punishment against Palestinians. This position is similar to that expressed by Moscow, which believes that "talks on a two-state solution are the only way to ensure peaceful coexistence." While many Arab countries have expressed support, even if only formal, for the Palestinians, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, India, Australia, and Canada have reiterated that "Israel has the right to defend itself," with an adjustment that emphasizes the need to protect the lives of civilians. This stance has fueled the perception that Israeli suffering carries more weight than that of the Palestinians. The accusation of "double standards," often used in the past to criticize what is perceived as selective outrage depending on who is affected, is resurfacing. There is a risk that the Palestinian issue, suddenly thrust back into the spotlight, may contribute to creating a new divide between the 'Western bloc' and the critical mass of the so-called 'Global South.'