Rockets have been flying at Israel and Gaza from all sides. Israeli civilians and soldiers were captured by Hamas soldiers
A new major war broke out between Hamas, Hezbollah, and Israel.
– The worst case scenario we thought could happen: It has now happened, John Hansen Bauer tells NRK.
He is Norway’s former ambassador to Israel, and she is the chair of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
John Hansen Bauer and Ine Eriksen Søreide at Marinelist.
Photo: Cecilie Sigrid Andersen/NRK
He points out how Palestinian fighters infiltrated Israeli territory. He now believes that the war will soon move to Gaza.
– The Israeli government has no choice. They must recover all the hostages captured there. This, in turn, could lead to a much larger attack from Hezbollah than we have seen so far.
If it escalates, this would be a very dark scenario for Israel and Palestinian civilians, Bauer-Hansen says.
For the first time since 1949, Palestinians control Israeli territories, says Cecily Hellstveit, a researcher at the Institute of International Law.
Photo: Cecilie Sigrid Andersen/NRK
Cecilie Hellestvedt, a researcher at the Volkeritz Institute, agrees Bauer Hansen that the Israeli authorities It may find itself forced to enter Gaza to free the Israeli prisoners.
– Israel’s motto is that if Israelis are taken hostage by an enemy, the state must do everything in its power to return them, she says..
Helstveit believes a ground invasion is necessary to free the prisoners, as drone attacks could also injure Israeli citizens.
– A ground invasion would be a bad solution for both Israeli soldiers and Gazans.
Israeli air defense systems in the fight against missiles from the Gaza Strip.
Photo: Reuters
More than 600 dead
Time will tell how they will resolve this conflict, but there is no doubt that we will witness a bloodbath in the coming days and weeks, says Hansen Bauer.
The beginning of this massacre is already underway.
According to local health authorities in Gaza, at least 313 people were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. In addition, nearly 2,000 people are said to have been infected.
Many civilian lives have already been lost.
Photo: Reuters
On the Israeli side, health authorities reported that at least 300 Israelis were killed in the attacks, while nearly 1,600 others were injured. Many of the dead are said to be civilians.
Can Norway do something?
When asked how Norway would deal with the conflict in the future, Ine Eriksen Søreide (H) replied that the important thing was that Norway was clear in its condemnation.
But she doesn’t think there’s any room to try to start a dialogue right now.
Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide (right) chairs the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Photo: Cecilie Sigrid Andersen/NRK
– It is a situation in which both parties consider themselves to be in a state of war. Soreidi believes that the most important thing the international community can do now is to try to avoid further escalation.
Actors in the region and surrounding countries in particular bear an important responsibility.
How they want to stand now will have a stronger impact on future outcomes than what Norway can talk to the parties about. It is the United States that will have the greatest impact on the chances of contributing to de-escalation.
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