Children injured in an Israeli airstrike are treated at a hospital in Gaza City, on Oct. 9, 2023. (Rizek Abdeljawad /  Xinhua)

Mitigating civilian casualties amid the Mideast conflict is a key task for the international community as the toll of dead and missing persons, including children, continues to mount following Israel’s “total” blockade on Gaza and the Palestinian Islamic resistance group Hamas’ threats to kill hostages in retaliation, analysts said.

“The escalation of hostilities, characterized by indiscriminate attacks from both aerial and ground forces, threatens the very survival of the civilian populace. Alarming reports indicate a substantial surge in civilian casualties, even beyond the boundaries of Gaza,” Arhama Siddiqa, a Middle East analyst and research fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad in Pakistan, told China Daily.

Without international intervention, the escalating conflict portends a grim future, where there may be scarcely anyone remaining to defend. The situation is akin to a self-destructive time bomb, she added.

As of Oct 9, more than 1,500 people have been killed — including more than 900 Israelis, and over 600 Palestinians, plus foreign nationals — and more than 5,000 injured since the latest conflict began over the weekend

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, as of Oct 9, more than 1,500 people have been killed — including more than 900 Israelis, and over 600 Palestinians, plus foreign nationals — and more than 5,000 injured since the latest conflict began over the weekend. But on Oct 10 Israel's army said it holds about 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants found in Israel on the fourth day of unprecedented battles.

Moreover, more than 187,000 displacements have been internally displaced in Gaza, the OCHA has said.

The figures include children, and some Palestinian armed groups in Gaza have claimed to have captured over 130 people, whose lives are urged to be protected by the Israeli side. 

Photo provided by Israeli Consulate General in Hong Kong SAR.

Hamas' military wing's spokesman Abu Obeida was cited by Xinhua as warning in an audio statement, that "any targeting of our people in their homes without prior warning will be regrettably faced with the execution of one the hostages of civilians."

Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk said the group was open to political dialogue over a possible truce with Israel, which the Russian News Agency Tass and Reuters reported early on Oct 10.

Israel is preparing for a prolonged military response and to operate to restore full control over all the communities and the security fence area on the border with the Gaza Strip, as well as crashing the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas. — Consul General of Israel in Hong Kong Amir Lati said in a written statement to China Daily 

However, “Israel is in a war against the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip,” Consul General of Israel in Hong Kong Amir Lati said in a written statement to China Daily on Oct 10. “Hamas started this war, and Israel is preparing for a prolonged military response and to operate to restore full control over all the communities and the security fence area on the border with the Gaza Strip, as well as crashing the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas.”

He said that “hundreds of terrorists of Hamas” launched a “deadly and barbaric attack with no legitimate pretext or provocative prior action on the part of Israel” in the midst of the Jewish holiday last Saturday, Oct 7, 2023.

Ceasefire appeals have been amplifying after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Oct 9 ordered "a complete siege" on the Gaza Strip, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war against Hamas and vowed “mighty vengeance”.

During a briefing with top Israeli military officials, Gallant said in a video statement that the complete siege on Gaza, which is home to about 2.3 million people, includes blocking electricity, food, and fuel supplies. Gaza has five governorates: Gaza City, Deir el-Balah, North Gaza, Khan Younis, and Rafah. It bordered by Israel and Egypt on the Mediterranean coast.

Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007. Besides Israel, the group had been designated as a “terrorist” organization by the United States, as well as Canada, the European Union, and Japan.

Consul General Lati said this attack came after a long period in which Israel strove to bring calm to the Gaza Strip by making extensive efforts to improve the economic situation of Palestinians, with an emphasis on long-term projects in Gaza.

The attackers were “motivated by hatred” and had “the desire to hurt Israeli citizens in every way, and to bring about the destruction of the State of Israel”, he said. He even went on to accuse Iran to bear “responsibility for Hamas' capabilities”.

Though Hamas rules Gaza, Israel controls Gaza’s airspace and territorial waters, including two of the three border crossing points. The third one is controlled by Egypt.

Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies in Pakistan, said the current situation is “very scary”.

“It seems that this time the Israelis are determined to decimate Hamas. And this war on Hamas I think is going to be extremely critical for the survival not only of Hamas but of the so-called Palestinian state”. 

A man looks at destroyed buildings following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Oct 8, 2023. (Rizek Abdeljawad / Xinhua)

In a press briefing on Oct 9, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said China opposes moves that would escalate the conflict and that it “was essential to restart the peace talks” and implement the two-state solution and settle the Palestinian question. She also said that Beijing “will continue to work relentlessly with the international community towards this end”.

During a phone talk with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas late Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the United Nations is making efforts to provide urgent humanitarian relief aid to the residents there, the Palestinian News Agency reported.

Making similar pronouncements were the Arab League and Russian Federation, which called for “cessation of any hostilities between Israel and Palestine” and a return to negotiations. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, secretary-general of the Arab League flew to Moscow following the Oct 7 attacks.

The two sides vowed to collaborate in ending the bloodshed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Prime Sarmiento and Xu Weiwei in Hong Kong contributed to the story.

Contact the writer at jan@chinadailyapac.com