The world must stop the pounding and hounding of Gaza

Chaos: A smoke plume erupting during Israeli bombardment in Rafah in south Gaza on Friday. Thousands of people, both Israeli and Palestinians, have died since Oct 7, after Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel. — AFP

“ALL wars must end,” said Fred Ikle, the late undersecretary of defence of the administration of United States president Ronald Reagan. Just as countries can get themselves into a conflict, they must know how to get themselves out of one. Otherwise, being caught in an endemic conflict is meaningless.

Ikle’s advice is timely, given the gravity of the situation in the Gaza Strip, where sheer emotion has taken over decent thinking and strategic sense. Otherwise, countries and sub-state actors could indeed find themselves enmeshed in a senseless state of warfare. Be it Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group, they could find themselves trapped in the fast-evolving conflict in Gaza one after the other.