Zero Time Difference: In the Conflict Between the US, Israel, and Iran, Please Do Not Forget Gaza, This "Besieged City"

Recently, the Rafah crossing has finally reopened. This is the first time this "lifeline" to Gaza has resumed two-way traffic since the U.S. and Israel's military strikes against Iran. On that day, approximately 1,950 tons of humanitarian aid materials once again entered this war-torn area, including food, medicine, tents, and daily necessities.

However, this is far from enough.

The Rafah crossing is the main passage for international humanitarian aid into Gaza. Since the Israeli military took control of the Palestinian side in May 2024, this lifeline has essentially been locked down. It briefly opened on February 2 of this year, but on the first day of the U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran, it was closed again by Israel on the grounds of "security." The repeated openings and closings have gradually crushed the hopes of the people in Gaza.

How cruel is the reality? The data does not lie.

Since the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza took effect last October, Gaza has needed approximately 88,000 trucks to deliver aid supplies, but only about 36,000 have actually entered—just about 41% of what is needed. The situation for fuel is even worse, with the actual number of fuel tankers entering accounting for only 14% of what should have entered. The supply of liquefied petroleum gas has completely dropped to zero.

These are not cold, hard numbers; they represent a huge gap between survival needs and reality. Over 2 million people in Gaza are trapped in this chasm: poverty is spreading, supplies are dwindling, and prices are soaring; power outages are frequent, water supply is critical, the medical system is on the brink of collapse, and sewage treatment and garbage collection have come to a complete standstill. Once a home, it is now turning into a besieged city with no visible exit.

This is not all. Since the "ceasefire" in October, according to data released by the Gaza health department on March 16, 671 people have died due to Israeli military attacks. This number is increasing every day. The so-called "ceasefire" has never truly brought peace to Gaza. The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories, Alabaneze, submitted a report to the Human Rights Council on the 23rd, condemning Israel's long-standing systematic torture of Palestinians, stating that this has become a core means of its genocide.

This is the nightmare that Gaza is experiencing.

However, Gaza seems to be forgotten.

Not because the situation has improved, but because the world's attention has shifted: the situation in Iran, the situation in Lebanon, maritime security in the Red Sea... new hotspots emerge one after another, while old sufferings are left behind, and the Palestinian issue faces the risk of being marginalized again. Worse still, these regional conflicts are exacerbating Gaza's plight—shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is obstructed, fuel prices are soaring, and transportation costs are skyrocketing; Israel has closed most of the crossing points into Gaza on the grounds of "security," delaying aid supplies, interrupting medical transfers, and cutting off lifelines.

Clearly, Gaza's fate is being influenced by external forces. How the ceasefire agreement is implemented, whether the crossing will open, and how much aid can enter—these decisions about the life and death of the people in Gaza are dictated by geopolitical games. Yet, the cost of this game is borne by the people on that land. They are waiting for a predetermined fate amid endless poverty, hunger, disease, and darkness.

But the power of justice has never been absent.

The Chinese government's special envoy for Middle East issues recently pointed out during a meeting with the Egyptian foreign minister that the Palestinian issue is the core of the Middle East problem, concerning peace, stability, and long-term security in the region, and must never be ignored or forgotten again. Previously, China announced a humanitarian aid package of $100 million to Palestine to alleviate the Gaza crisis and support post-war reconstruction. The European Union has also recently announced over €450 million in humanitarian aid to several countries in the Middle East, with €124 million specifically allocated to support the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.

Returning justice to the Palestinian people upholds the bottom line of international morality and is also the common future of lasting peace for humanity.

Gaza should not become a forgotten corner.