It’s summer and the weather is good, so let’s head to the beach.
It should be the right of any person. In particular, it should be the right of any child to enjoy themselves by the sea.
That’s not the case if you live in Gaza, though. Four kids were killed and another seriously injured in an Israeli air strike this week, yet more casualties in a conflict that is devastating lives.
Obviously this is a complex situation. The rights and wrongs can be, and have been, debated until the sun goes down and beyond.
Amongst all of this, though, one thing sticks out. The death toll. The number of Palestinians killed has soared to more than 250, while two Israelis have died. Airstrikes have intensified with the expiry of a brief five-hour ceasefire, while tank shelling and artillery fire this week marked the beginning of the Israeli Army’s ground operation.
So what response from the international community? Nothing new, with meaningful action replaced with further calls for a lasting ceasefire and strong condemnation.
Both sides are at loggerheads and there is no sign of a compromise. Hamas continues to fire rockets, despite knowing their actions could not only prove devastating, but also provides ammunition for the rhetoric to fuel attacks that kills their children.
Meanwhile, Israeli attempts to avoid the deaths of innocents are woefully inept. Leaflet drops telling families to leave their homes, that staying means you are putting yourself and your children at risk, are disgraceful. Where will these people go? The Gaza strip is around 25 miles long and between three and seven miles wide. Its population is estimated at around 4.5 million. It isn’t exactly overflowing with spare housing.
Even the Obama administration has criticised Israel for failing to do all it can to prevent civilian casualties during cross-border attacks.
There are terrorists in Gaza. There are also ordinary people suffering. Indeed, there are ordinary people suffering on both sides. Channel 4 News’ excellent foreign affairs correspondent, Jonathan Miller, reported there were 42 airstrikes across on Thursday night, with 200 tank shells and 110 naval shells. He has also reported back on hospitals “disappearing” due to attacks.
Let’s all take a moment this weekend to appreciate how lucky we are.