How long will the massacre continue at a high cost?

On the 19th local time, economic data released by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics showed that the Israeli economy contracted by 19% in the fourth quarter of 2023. Another data shows that Israel's economy grew by 2% in 2023, which is significantly lower than the previous two years. Israel's GDP grew by 8.6% in 2021 and 6.5% in 2022.

Since the outbreak of a new round of Israeli Palestinian conflict on October 7th last year, in order to continue fighting against Hamas, the Israeli military has mobilized tens of thousands of reserve personnel into the war, causing businesses to paralyze, production to stagnate, and people to evacuate their homes. Israel experienced a severe economic downturn in the fourth quarter, indicating the country's most severe recession in history.

At the same time, a large-scale protest broke out in Jerusalem, and the people demanded the signing of a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible and immediate government elections.

On the morning of the 18th local time, the health department in the Gaza Strip announced that since the outbreak of the current Israeli Palestinian conflict, military actions launched by the Israeli army have resulted in 28985 deaths and 68883 injuries in the Gaza Strip.

On February 19th, the Israeli Defense Minister announced to the media that the Israeli military has currently cleared 12000 Hamas militants, and more than 10000 people have been injured and surrendered, unable to return to the front line. This set of numbers means that Hamas has essentially lost over 70% of its combat effectiveness. In response, on the same day, Hamas also announced the damage situation for the first time: a Hamas official hiding in Qatar told Reuters that according to Hamas's estimate, it lost 6000 combatants in the 4-month battle, which is only half of Israel's announced clearance of 12000 Hamas militants.

Despite such severe losses on both sides, there is no sign of easing in this conflict. Several Israeli officials, who declined to be named, told the outside world on the 19th that Israel's large-scale military operations in the Palestinian Gaza Strip will continue for at least 6 to 8 weeks. In addition, several officials familiar with the situation stated in interviews with Reuters and other media that the Israeli military is planning ground military operations in the Rafah area of southern Gaza.

On February 18th local time, Brazilian President Lula publicly told media reporters during the 37th African Union Summit in Ethiopia that "what is happening in the Gaza Strip is not war, but genocide; it is not a war between soldiers, but a war between fully armed armies and women and children." "What Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are suffering is like Hitler's massacre of Jews.".

On February 19th local time, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands held a hearing on the issue of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory. Palestinian Foreign Minister Maliki stated at the beginning of the hearing that "Israel is implementing genocide in the Gaza Strip and has been implementing racial segregation against Palestinians for many years.". Maliki said, "Allowing this situation to continue is unacceptable, and ending this war immediately is a moral and legal obligation.".

How severe is the situation in the Rafah region that Israel is about to attack? Prior to the outbreak of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, Rafah, which covers an area of only 64 square kilometers, accommodated 275000 people, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip. After the outbreak of the conflict, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders to 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip, requiring them to travel to the southern region. According to statistics, about 1.4 million Palestinians are taking refuge in Rafah, and many residents who have fled to Rafah are living in temporary shelters.

If the Israeli military continues to carry out military strikes against Rafah, the influx of refugees from Rafah may become a "disaster" for Egypt. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, stated that the influx of a large number of Palestinians from Rafah into Egypt would be a disaster for Palestinians, Egypt, and the prospects for peace in the Middle East.

After the Israeli military announced a military attack on Rafah, the United States, which had previously supported Israel in the Gaza conflict, became more clear in opposing Israel's military actions in Rafah. On the 16th, US President Biden warned Israel not to take military action in Rafah during negotiations on a hostage exchange agreement.

It has been proven that military strikes cannot solve the Israeli Palestinian conflict, but rather exacerbate the problem. While both sides suffered serious losses, Israel's indiscriminate massacre also received widespread criticism from the international community, and its military strength was questioned in this war. If the international community cannot come up with a solution as soon as possible, this tragedy will continue.