The US must join with the other members of the UN Security Council and bring a cease fire in Gaza

Map of Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Looking at the Israeli siege of Gaza in retaliation against Hamas storming into Israel October 7th, killing some 1200 Israeli's and taking 247 people hostage it is now the primary hot spot in the world.

Here's an assessment of the conflict as seen from afar.

Israel has resumed its siege of Gaza on Friday since the 4 day temporary truce with Hamas ended the previous day.

The Qatari brokered truce between Hamas and Israeli negotiators resulted in Hamas releasing some 110 hostages of the 247 it held while Israel released 240 Palestinian women and children it held in Israeli jails.

Both sides accused the other of attacks during the ceasefire thus ending it.

Since 2006 when Hamas replaced the PLO as the Palestinian authority in Gaza, Hamas has built an extensive tunnel network throughout the enclave. Supposedly it measures more miles than the London Underground's 250 miles. The Gaza tunnels are at a depth of 260 feet complete with an air infiltration system. Supposedly the Israeli's are considering closing off the tunnel ventilation system. However, some hostages held by Hamas are in those tunnels and would be killed. So it's unlikely the Israeli's would make such a move.

There has been sporadic attacks between the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Israeli IDF but Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said Hezbollah did not intend to expand the war into a full scale regional conflict.

The Houthi's in Yemen in support of Hamas have sent drone and missiles attacks into Israel and seized a ship associated with Israel in the Red Sea. They have vowed to continue its attacks on Israel as long as the Israeli's continue its assault in Gaza. Israel blames Iran behind the Houthi attacks.

Meanwhile there have been sporadic attacks by Orthodox Jewish settlers on Palestinian's in the West Bank-who support the Palestinian's in Gaza-though not necessarily Hamas. According to UN data as of March 2023 there are some 700,000 Jewish settlers in 279 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. As such the much talked about two state solution of a Palestinian state including the West Bank and Gaza adjacent to Israel seems implausible at this point. For that to happen the Israeli settlements would have to be dismantled in the West Bank. But what about the 700,000 settlers? They would be in open rebellion. It becomes most apparent to this observer Israel's extensive settler expansion throughout the West Bank was meant to make a two state solution difficult if not impossible.

So...the more women and children the IDF kills in Gaza along with its attack of Gaza hospitals has most of the world appalled by the carnage committed by the Israeli's.

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