2024.01.16

• International Security Order

What the Hamas-Israel ‘humanitarian pause’ really meant (Geoeconomic Briefing)

Almost three months have passed since a conflict between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel began, and more than 20,000 Palestinians — of whom about 70% are women and children — have been killed in Israel’s counterattack operations against Hamas. Relief supplies were delivered to the Gaza Strip during a seven-day “humanitarian pause” from Nov. 24. On Dec. 1, the Israeli offensive in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, started. What happened in the lead-up to the humanitarian pause, and how did it differ from a cease-fire? This article reviews developments at the United Nations Security Council. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is tearing apart public opinion across the globe and creating domestic fault lines within countries. But what is required of the international community?