For about 6 months, Gaza successfully prevented the Coronavirus pandemic from entering the besieged Gaza Strip as the infected were limited to the arrivals from abroad who were immediately quarantined. However, 6 new cases were discovered inside the Strip which has taken the battle to a new level. As the Israeli occupation has tightened the siege, there have been shortages in medical supplies and electricity, so the situation appears to be very dangerous.
The Resistance’ Conditions:
Before the discovery of the six cases, the resistance was aiming to break the siege and set 5 conditions for reaching calm: the occupation exempts the Gaza Strip from the taxes it claims from Gaza crossings ($140m a month), the number of beneficiaries from the Qatari fund is increased from 100,000 to 200,000 poor families, the industrial area to the east of Gaza is operated (it employs about 30,000 workers), the occupation allows the entry of 10,000 workers to the occupied lands of 1948, and the international projects intended for the Gaza Strip infrastructure are allowed as well.
Is the resistance determination the same after the discovery of the cases inside the Strip?
Yes, indeed. The burning balloons are still being fired from the Strip. On Tuesday, the number of fires rose to 40 in the surrounding area of the Strip. This means the resistance is determined to end the siege under whatever circumstances, especially that the Palestinian citizens cannot bear the situation any longer.
Possible Scenarios:
The occupation has tried all means possible to thwart the resistance’ efforts in breaking the siege and continues to exercise pressure on the Gaza Strip. The resistance’ determination to break the siege could lead to one of these possible scenarios:
- The occupation answers to the resistance’ conditions. The resistance has benefited from the Israeli status quo, because of the crisis of not approving the budget. This may lead to new elections, and the internal community has been demanding Netanyahu’s resignation because of the corruption charges made against him. This scenario is more likely to happen provided all the conditions are answered to without any stalling. The UN has already urged the occupation to allow the Qatari fuel to the power plant of the Strip, so this is an indication of the situation going in this direction.
- The occupation refuses to answer to the Palestinian conditions, so a new round of escalation erupts for a few days and is later contained. This is, of course, unless something happens in the field that leads to an open confrontation.