Dream - The man is not smiling. Thin hair and wrinkles on his face seem to indicate his old age. Wearing a black shirt and an undershirt of the same color, he sits in front of journalists. Behind him, a blue Star of David flag of Israel can be seen. That day was Monday, October 9, 2023. Two days after the sudden attack by Hamas fighters on Southern Israel, which later was known to have killed 1,300 Israeli citizens and injured more than 3,500 people.

The man who doesn't smile is Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant. During the press conference, he announced the "total siege" of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. "There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything will be blocked," Galant told the commanders of the Israeli Defense Force's Southern Command. "We are fighting against human animals and we are taking appropriate action," he added in Hebrew, according to the translation of his statement quoted by the Times of Israel newspaper.

The translation of the provided text is as follows, preserving the HTML tags: "The statement by Gallant was followed by a command from Israel's Energy Minister, Israel Katz, to cut off the water supply to Gaza. Electricity and fuel were cut off two days later. Yoav's announcement came a day after the Israeli government officially declared war on Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that launched a wave of sudden attacks that devastated on Saturday morning, October 7, 2023. The announcement was made with the aim of taking full control of Gaza from Hamas and eradicating the group."

"More than 1,300 people have been killed in Israel, and more than 1,800 people in Gaza, since the escalation of hostilities began. Civilian deaths have been reported on both sides. Israel has exerted significant control over Gaza through a blockade imposed over the past 16 years, in order to restrict the flow of goods and the movement of people since Hamas took control of part of the territory."

The total blockade of Israel on Gaza, especially with the routine bombings carried out by the Israeli army on civilian settlements, raises deep concern for the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres. Speaking at the UN headquarters, Guterres admitted that the UN is concerned about Hamas attacks on Israel. But according to him, that does not justify Israel's total blockade of Gaza from water, food, electricity, and fuel.

Since last Saturday, the Israeli military has also launched air strikes and bombarded the Gaza Strip, an area under Hamas control. The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that as of Wednesday, October 11, 2023, at least 900 Palestinian civilians have been killed, including 260 children and 230 women, and 4,500 people have been injured as a result of Israeli air strikes since Saturday. United Nations data states that more than 123,000 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes in Gaza. Meanwhile, local television in Israel reported that the number of casualties from Hamas attacks in southern Israel last Saturday has increased to 1,300 people, with at least 3,500 people injured.

The battle between Hamas and Israel is like David versus Goliath. Israel has 169,500 active soldiers and 465,000 reserve soldiers. Meanwhile, the Palestinian armed group is estimated to have around 10,000 members, which can easily grow to 50,000 in a wartime situation. In his statement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "In the face of this unprecedented attack, Israeli airstrikes have hit Gaza." "I am deeply concerned about reports that over 500 Palestinian civilians, including women and children, have been killed in Gaza."

" I am very concerned about reports that more than 500 Palestinian citizens - including women and children - have been killed in Gaza and more than 3,000 people injured. Unfortunately, this number continues to rise as Israel's operation continues. Although I understand Israel's concerns about security, I also remind Israel that military operations must be conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law."

"Civilian populations must be respected and protected at all times. Civilian infrastructure should not be targeted. We have received reports of Israeli missiles attacking health facilities in Gaza, as well as high-rise residential towers and a mosque. Two UNRWA schools (UN body) that accommodate refugee families in Gaza have also been affected.""

"About 137,000 people are currently taking shelter in UNRWA facilities - and this number continues to increase as the shootings and heavy airstrikes persist. I am deeply distressed by today's announcement that Israel will initiate a total siege on the Gaza Strip, with no one allowed to enter - no electricity, food, or fuel. The humanitarian situation in Gaza prior to this conflict was already horrifying; now it will only worsen exponentially."

"Medical equipment, food, fuel, and other humanitarian supplies are urgently needed, as well as access to humanitarian personnel. Assistance and the entry of essential supplies into Gaza must be facilitated – and the UN will continue to make efforts to provide assistance in response to these needs. I urge all parties and relevant actors to grant access to the UN to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to the trapped and helpless Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip," said Guterres.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, also condemned Israel's decision. "The blockade that endangers civilians by obstructing access to basic necessities needed for survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law," he said. Total blockade is feared to worsen the conditions in Gaza. Human rights defenders refer to Gaza as the world's largest "open prison."

"Even the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, referred to Gaza Strip as the 'world's hell'.***Amer Ashour's pregnant wife began experiencing labor pains just as Israel began bombing the besieged Gaza Strip on Saturday night. They rushed to the nearest maternity hospital where the couple was blessed with a baby boy, their second child. However, what they didn't expect was that upon returning home, they would find no trace except for piles of rubble and stones."

The following is the translation of the given 'Bahasa' text to 'English' while preserving any html tags: "The Israeli forces have bombed an 11-story building where the couple was living, in the Al-Nasr neighborhood west of Gaza City, after the Palestinian armed group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday morning. "What I feared the most when the escalation started was that my wife would give birth soon. I was worried about how we could reach the hospital considering the continuous bombings," Ashour told Al Jazeera. "But I never expected that my house would be bombed and destroyed."

Israel on Sunday declared "a state of war" and approved "significant military steps" after a sudden attack by Hamas. The fierce battle that followed has killed more than 2,100 people - including at least 900 in Gaza - and injured thousands on both sides. "Right now, all of us, our children and our women, are homeless," he said as he pulled his belongings out of the rubble. "Where will we go in these difficult times?"

Shadi Al-Hassi and his older brother left their home in eastern Gaza Strip after their house was damaged due to an airstrike on a building behind their house. They went to their parents' apartment in Al-Watan Tower in downtown Gaza City. "At four in the morning, I was startled by a call for us to evacuate the tower threatened by Israeli bombings," said Al-Hassi.

Civil defense vehicles and ambulances rushed to evacuate the residents of the building a few minutes before the building was bombed, causing panic among the families living there. "Until now, I am still shocked that the tower became a target. Superior residential and civil towers, with clinics, companies, and beauty centers? Where is the alleged Israeli military activity?" said Al-Hassi.

"Now we all, my brothers and my family, are losing our homes within a few hours and we do not know what will happen next." Youssef Al-Bawab, who lives in a building across from the Al-Watan Tower, said that they received a warning from Israeli forces at 17.00 local time to evacuate their homes."

"We feel very frightened. This tower is only a few meters away from us and is a civilian tower. We did not see any resistance activities as claimed by Israel. The building where Al-Bawab and 150 other families live is severely damaged and uninhabitable. Several houses and other buildings around the Al-Watan Tower are also severely damaged after the bombing."

"Israel claims that they targeted resistance fighters, military sites, and Hamas-owned buildings, but the reality is the opposite. I am certain that Israel intentionally targeted civilians and displaced them to exert greater pressure on Hamas," said Al-Bawab. "But what have we done wrong? Where can we go?" Mohammed Salah, from the Beit Lahia neighborhood in northern Gaza, said he left his home and took shelter in a UN-managed school with other families from the area."

"Last night, Israeli planes randomly bombed our area. The situation was very dangerous, so I left my house with another family," he said. "Israeli bombs do not differentiate between civilians and resistance fighters. In every war, we leave our homes because of indiscriminate bombing," he added.

"We have been living in this situation for years, without anyone defending or advocating for us. We have the right to fight against our oppressors," said Salah.***Now, Israel's iron and fire are once again imposed on the people of Gaza."

At the time this article was written, Israel's ground attack seems to be preparing to launch into the Gaza Strip, a narrow area 41 kilometers long and between 6 to 12 kilometers wide with a total area of 365 square kilometers, bordered by the sea, and one of the most densely populated places in the world. About half of the more than 2.3 million residents of this area are children. And, for over a generation, they have lived under Israel's blockade and a permanent conflict with the Hamas group, which governs Gaza.

Since the takeover of Gaza by Hamas in 2007 - which occurred after their victory in the previous Palestinian elections, causing a split with the Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank - Israel has taken control of Gaza. Israel has conducted a number of major military operations against Hamas fighters, who have found ways to periodically penetrate Israel's sophisticated security lines with rocket attacks, drones, and other unconventional methods, including incendiary balloons.

Every time Israel escalates its attacks against Hamas in Gaza, many Palestinian civilians are killed. The three-week-long Operation Cast Lead, which began at the end of 2008, resulted in the deaths of over 1,300 Palestinian civilians. The 2021 Operation Pillar of Defense led to the deaths of over 100 Palestinian civilians. In 2014, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge, which lasted for 50 days and involved limited aerial and ground operations. According to the UN, 7 out of 10 of the over 2,000 Palestinians killed during the 2014 campaign were civilians.

In 2005, after a painful experience due to the second intifada, the Israeli government withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip, which it had occupied since 1967, and expelled approximately 9,000 Jewish settlers who lived there. Hamas, which, unlike the Palestinian Authority, does not recognize Israel's right to exist, de facto took control of Gaza in 2007, triggering an Israeli blockade by air, sea, and land.

As a result, the conditions in that region have been degraded for years, and the UN estimates that the blockade has cost the Gaza economy nearly $17 billion or Rp 266 trillion over the course of about a decade. Critics of Israel refer to the area as the "largest open-air prison" in the world. For them, "Gaza is a one-word argument for Israel's brutality towards the blockaded enclave, where people live in dire conditions," said Natan Sachs, director of the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.

And now Gaza is suffering again. Under the scorched earth policy of the Israeli government's wing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Al Jazeera reported that as of Friday, October 13, 2023, Israeli airstrikes have claimed 1,800 lives and injured over 6,300 in the Gaza Strip. So it is true when UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "The recent (Hamas) violence did not just emerge out of nowhere. The reality is that it stems from a long-standing conflict, with a 56-year-long occupation and no visible political end."

Therefore, the total blockade of electricity, water, food, and fuel on the 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza, half of whom are children, is a humanitarian crime. It is a war crime. Just like the Nazis did to the Jews when they exterminated 6 million Jews in the horrific episode of the Holocaust during World War II. And now Israel is following the example of the Nazis towards innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza. (eha) Source: Times of Israel, Business Insider, United Nation, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, ABC News, Le Monde.