Israel continued to act, Britain, France and Germany demanded a ceasefire, and the death toll in Gaza was close to 20,000.
????The British, German and French foreign ministers voiced their voices on the same day on the 17th, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. Us defense minister Austin visited Israel on the 18 th and asked it to "reduce the scale of the war"; Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, condemned the Israeli destruction of hospitals in northern Gaza; Pope Francis said that Israel uses "terrorism" strategy in Gaza; Non-governmental organizations accuse Israel of preventing food and water from entering Gaza and using hunger as a weapon of war … Agence France-Presse said on the 18th that with the death toll in Gaza approaching 20,000, Israel is facing increasing anger. The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to vote on a new draft resolution on the same day, which was proposed by Arab countries and called for an "urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities" in Gaza. The British "Guardian" said that the new resolution put pressure on the United States not to use its veto power as a permanent member of the Security Council to protect Israel again. Earlier, the United States vetoed Security Council resolutions on the situation in Gaza twice.
????On the 17th, after the Rafah area in Gaza was attacked by Israeli troops, rescuers carried out search and rescue. (澎湃 image)
????European countries "change their tone"
????British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Berber issued a joint article in the Sunday Times on 17th, calling for a "sustainable ceasefire" in Gaza. The New York Times explained that the two countries had changed their previous tone of supporting Israel. After Britain and Germany published an open letter, French Foreign Minister Collonna also called for an "immediate and lasting truce". According to the report, in recent weeks, due to the firm support of the United States, Israel has been protected from international pressure to a certain extent. Earlier this month, the United States voted against the UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. But Washington changed its public tone in the past week. US President Biden criticized the Israeli military for "indiscriminate" bombing of Gaza and warned that Israel was losing international support. This is Biden’s harshest criticism of Israel since the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out in October.
????Washington post said that the Israeli attack on medical institutions in Gaza was strongly condemned by WHO. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, said on social media on 17th that the organization was shocked by the destruction of Kamal Adouan Hospital in northern Gaza, which was no longer operational, resulting in the death of at least eight patients, which was "a serious blow to Gaza’s paralyzed health system". According to WHO, the situation of Shifa Hospital, the largest medical institution in Gaza, is a "complete horror scene", and its emergency room is being staged with a "massacre", where the injured people are crowded, but the hospital has no corresponding medical conditions.
????Israeli military snipers were accused of shooting at a church in Jerusalem on the 16th, killing a Palestinian woman and her daughter who had taken refuge here, and injuring seven others, which also angered public opinion. Rome Pope Francis said on the 17th that Israel used the strategy of "terrorism" in Gaza, and there were no terrorists in the church, only children, the sick and the disabled. Italian Foreign Minister Taiani also voiced his concern on the 18th, saying that terrorists would definitely not hide in Christian churches, and Israeli actions would not help defeat Hamas. The Israeli military denied the allegations, saying that its findings showed that no civilians were killed in Christian churches.
????Israel is like a "bull in a China shop"
????Health authorities in the Gaza said on the 18th that Israeli attacks on northern Gaza had killed at least 151 Palestinians since the previous day. Since the outbreak of this round of conflict on October 7th, Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed 19,453 people.
????"No one ever foresaw this." The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) commented on the 18th that all Israel’s allies, including Britain, the United States and Germany, did not foresee that the death toll in Gaza would approach 20,000 when they pledged their full support for Israel and its right to self-defense on October 7th. "Voice of America" said that although the US government has provided important military and diplomatic support to Israel, it is increasingly uneasy about civilian casualties in Gaza. Senator Chris Van Hollen said in an interview recently that the high number of civilian casualties in Gaza is "unacceptable".
????Former British Defense Secretary ben wallace warned in the Daily Telegraph on 18th that the Israeli government’s "killing rage" in Gaza damaged its original legitimate right of self-defense, and it made a mistake, thus losing its moral and legal authority. Israel’s indiscriminate attacks on Palestinians may make the conflict last for another 50 years and make young Muslims around the world more radical.
????Wallace said in the article that he is not calling for a ceasefire, but Israel needs to "stop this rude and indiscriminate attack." He believes that "it is legal to pursue Hamas, but it is illegal to destroy a large area of Gaza; It is legal to use appropriate force, but it is illegal to collectively punish and force civilians to move. " He said that the behavior of Israeli politicians was "like a bull in a China shop".
????The U.S. Defense Secretary visited Israel again, "with tougher information and lessons learned."
????On the 18th, US Defense Secretary Austin and US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Brown arrived in Israel. The New York Times said that this is Austin’s second visit to Israel since October 7th, and this time he "has more severe information and lessons learned". Biden administration officials are urging Israel to end its large-scale ground and air operations in Gaza within a few weeks. Austin’s message will be more direct: if more measures are not taken to protect civilians, Israel may face "strategic failure", which will make the country more insecure. This proposal comes from the experience of past military operations in the United States. According to the report, Austin will express his support for Israel, but at the same time, he will discuss with the Israeli leadership when and how to launch a "new stage of war", reduce the scale of the war in Gaza, and turn to elite troops to carry out precise strikes against Hamas.
????Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator, told The New York Times: "This level of killing against civilians and the anger it aroused ensure that future generations inside and outside Palestine will be recruited as militants and support the resistance movement. This is a problem for Israel and the United States. "
????On the 18th, news spread that the heads of intelligence agencies of the United States and Israel and the Prime Minister of Qatar met in Poland, and all parties mediated a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and resumed hostage negotiations. Regarding the prospect of war, Al Jazeera said that Yusef BuAndel, a professor of international relations at Qatar University, said that he was "optimistic" about reaching a new truce with the increasing pressure from home and abroad. According to the analysis of the Egyptian newspaper Izvestia, Biden’s government has to canvass for its election when there is a general demand for a ceasefire in Israel all over the world, especially when the Islamic countries are passionate. If Israel’s behavior is allowed to continue, Biden will lose the support of Muslims in the United States.?