In the news I read and watched yesterday, it was said that the civilian casualties in the Israel-Hamas war had exceeded a total of 6,000. It was also stated that over 1,500 people were trapped under the debris of approximately 200,000 homes destroyed by Israeli bombardment.*
Arabs say “Kıssatun latentehi,” which means “an endless story.” In the context of Israel-Palestine conflict, if you look at it from the perspective of human history, it is an endless story of humanity’s struggle, conflict, and war with each other through various means since 1948, or even since the dawn of humanity.
Putting aside the struggle and conflict, let’s continue with war: Historians say that from 3000 BC to today, 14,531 wars have occurred. Millions of people have died and been killed in these wars. The same sources say that in the 1990s, more than a million people died in wars that erupted only in North African territories.
So, what are the causes of these wars with such significant loss of life? There isn’t a single cause. There are many political, military, religious, cultural, and economic reasons. Each war should be considered separately for these reasons.
One question that comes to mind here is the definition of a common war. Does such a definition exist? As far as I know, it doesn’t. The use of physical violence by states or political actors with the capacity to use violence against opposing states or actors constitutes the main element of the definition of war. That’s about it. From this perspective, a separate definition can be made for each war. However, it wouldn’t be wrong to say the following: since the opposite of war is peace, and living together by preserving differences, war can be seen as a means that one party uses to forcibly impose its demands on its counterpart through physical violence. Indeed, the Israel-Hamas war is taking place precisely within this context.
After these brief reminders, let’s move on to the Israel-Hamas war that has been going on for weeks, locking the world politics and holding all the world news channels hostage. It exceeds the author of these lines to make an assessment in terms of the political dimension of the matter. There is no need for it either. In the domestic and foreign press, such in-depth analyses are being conducted that each of them is an expert in their field.
However, despite all this, there is a mistake that every human being on Earth who has not lost their feelings, their mental faculties, their conscience, and their moral values can point out in the ongoing war there: the killing of civilians. Moreover, as I mentioned earlier, more than 6,000 deaths, as stated, half of them are babies and children.
The whole world should unite and say STOP to this mistake. Saying this does not make a person a sympathizer of Hamas or anti-Israel. In fact, many people with an intact conscience working in various fields and positions in life are saying this.
I hope and wish that, using all the resources of diplomacy that have not been fully utilized so far, the bloodshed stops first, the deaths of young people in the prime of their lives stop, the killings of babies who have just opened their eyes to life, and the killings of children who look to the future with great expectations stop, and that a lasting peace is built on this ground.
As I said, I hope and wish.
Otherwise, it seems and is seen that this humanitarian catastrophe will continue until competent and effective states, institutions, organizations, and individuals say ‘STOP.'”
*The number of casualties in Israel and Gaza has reached a total of 9,000…
