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| An Israeli M113 near Gaza. Photo by Reuters. |
Gaza
Israeli ground forces moved into Gaza on the 17th;
ground fighting continues. An Israeli M113 personnel carrier was hit this Sunday, killing
seven Israeli soldiers. American-designed M113s date back to the 1960s and are
not protected against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or RPGs – widely-used
Soviet anti-tank weapons. The IDF has access to better-protected personnel
carriers, and had weeks to prepare for the ground invasion, suggesting that the
decision to use the less-protected vehicles was negligent.
Hamas rocket attacks on Israel continue, and continue to be
ineffective. 940 Palestinians (mostly civilians) and 40 Israelis (mostly
soldiers) have been killed. Both sides accuse each other of war crimes. A
12-hour ceasefire will end at 5:00 P.M. GMT today.
UPDATE: The ceasefire has been extended an extra four hours. It will end at 9:00 P.M GMT.
UPDATE: The ceasefire has been extended an extra four hours. It will end at 9:00 P.M GMT.
Ukraine
Fighting in Ukraine continues after the destruction of
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17). All 298 people on board were killed when
the plane was shot down on July 17. The bulk of the evidence thus far indicates
that it was shot down by Russian-supported separatist militiamen who mistook it
for a Ukrainian transport plane.
Both Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of firing across
the international border. American and European sanctions against Russia are
gradually being escalated. The Ukrainian military is continuing to make
progress against the pro-Russian separatists based in Donetsk and Luhansk.
Between 1,000 and 1,500 people are believed to have died so far, including at
least 325 government soldiers and more than 500 civilians, but not including
those killed on MH17.
Syria
The Syrian Civil War remains the bloodiest ongoing conflict,
with more than 73,000 people killed last year alone. Moderate militias aligned
with the US-supported Free Syrian Army have recently lost ground against the
Iran-backed Assad regime and the increasingly brutal fundamentalist Sunni Islamists
of ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, now going by the “Islamic State”).
In light of the worsening humanitarian crises in the
country, the UN has begun sending aid into the country without the permission
of the Assad regime, which has in the past denied aid to rebel-controlled
areas. The UN believes that more than 10.8 million Syrians are in need of aid,
and that more than 9 million have been displaced, out of a total population of
22 or 23 million.
This sets an important international precedent –
humanitarian need now overrides the sovereignty of national governments,
meaning that the UN can now effectively ignore governments to distribute aid to
any populations that it believes to be in need.
Iraq
The ever-horrifying ISIS (see above) is no longer making progress towards
Baghdad. The US, Iran, and Russia are all actively supporting the Iraqi
government against the Sunni extremist group. In a power-sharing deal, the
Iraqi Parliament has appointed Fouad Massoum – a moderate Sunni – President. Iran
and the US have both signaled a preference for more inclusive leadership, but the
divisive Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki still holds the bulk of the
power in the government.
Elswhere in the world, fighting is ongoing in Nigeria,
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, eastern India, and Afghanistan.
