
Israeli protesters demonstrate outside the Israeli army’s headquarters in Tel Aviv, calling for a ceasefire in the war on Gaza, October 28, 2023. (Oren Ziv)
I’m sure everyone is following what’s happening in the Middle East right now, especially what’s happening between Palestine and Israel.
So, I thought maybe it would be a good idea to share with you my perspective as an Egyptian who was born and raised in that region.
First, some historical context: Egypt was attacked by Israel in 1967 and lost some territory in what’s known as “The 6-day War.” Later, in 1973, Egypt retaliated and won its land back.
Then, both countries decided that there had to be everlasting peace between Israel and Egypt, and they signed a peace treaty in 1979 brokered by the United States.
This is important for reasons I will explain later.
Now, back to the present day. On October 7th, a Palestinian militant group called Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostages.
There is no doubt that any sane person would condemn the killing and kidnapping of civilians. For me especially, as an Egyptian, we understand the evil that Hamas brings, as they crossed the borders during the Egyptian revolution in 2011 and attacked prisons in Egypt, releasing most of the terrorists that were being held there, who later became responsible for a lot of terrorism that took place in Sinai between 2011 till 2016.
So why do I condemn and actually hate Hamas, yet my commentary is titled, “A call for a ceasefire”?
Ever since what happened on October 7th, Israel has been retaliating on the city of Gaza, where the Israeli government says that most Hamas militants are. However, the following points are missed by the Israelis:
- Most Hamas leaders are not in Gaza or on Palestinian land but rather living very comfortably in Qatar, Turkey, and Iran.
- So far, Israel has killed more than 8,000 Palestinians in the bombing campaign; more than half of this number are children, but do you know how many Hamas members have been killed? Six. Yes, only six, because Hamas militants hide inside the Gaza tunnels during the bombings, leaving the innocent Palestinians to be killed.
- Moreover, Israel has cut electricity, water, and fuel from Gaza and has been allowing only small amounts of aid from neighboring countries like Egypt and Jordan to hospitals and from the Red Crescent to reach Gaza, thus creating an impossible situation for more than 2 million in the sad city of Gaza.
So where will this leave the 250 hostages? Hamas has already claimed that 50 of them have been killed from the Israeli air strikes while the prime minister of Israel is now preparing for a land invasion of Gaza.
In conclusion, what Israel is doing now is inhumane for innocent Gaza civilians and is risking the lives of its own people who are held hostages.
Therefore, an immediate ceasefire is a must, something that almost all the countries in the United Nations have called for and was only opposed by the U.S. and a few other countries.
A cease-fire would put a hold on all the killing of innocent lives and would give Israel the chance to negotiate the release of the hostages that Hamas is holding.
What will happen next, only God knows, but I know that just like Egypt and Israel managed to sustain their peace now for over 40 years, a fair and just peace must be reached between the Palestinians and the Israelis for the sake of all of us.
That’s why I call for a ceasefire!