Last strike

One was an "incredible father, husband, son and brother", another, a "kind, selfless and outstanding human being". All were killed while delivering food to people in need.

Seven international aid workers from the World Central Kitchen, an international food charity, have been killed in an Israeli air strike, while returning from dropping 100 tonnes of food supplies in central Gaza.

The incident has drawn international condemnationAn expression of strong disapproval.. UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said he was "appalled" by the deaths of the aid workers, which included three British nationals.

UK charities have warned that Gaza is the "world's most dangerous place to deliver aid". The UN says that the war has killed almost 200 aid workers.¹

The World Central Kitchen has suspended its operations in Gaza following the air strike on its convoy.² Two other charities have paused aid to Gaza over safety fears. There are concerns that this will exacerbateMake worse. famine in the Gaza Strip, where 2.2 million Palestinians are already facing malnutritionPoor nutrition - caused by not having enough to eat or not having the right foods. and starvation owing to severe food shortages.³

The World Central Kitchen said it has served 42 million meals over its 175 days operating in Gaza - around 240,000 meals per day. Many are concerned that its absence will be deeply felt among Palestinians, 90% of whom are getting just one meal a day.⁴

Almost 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military operations which began after militant Palestinian group Hamas led a surprise attack on Israel on 7 October last year. 

Despite the mounting horrors in Gaza, some urge people to continue being optimistic about the prospect of peace, arguing that the two sides can still reconcileTo restore friendly relations..

The Israeli writer, philosopher and public intellectual Yuval Noah Harari is one of these optimists. He argues that the conflict is fuelled by "the mutual horror of destruction", by both sides fearing that the other would exterminateTo wipe out, or destroy completely. it, given the chance.⁵

But citing the close to two million Arab citizens of Israel who risked or even lost their lives helping their Jewish neighbours when Hamas launched its October attack, Harari argues that both sides should lose this fear of extermination.

"There is enough land between the Jordan and the Mediterranean to build houses, schools, roads and hospitals for everyone," Harari urges. But many doubt that such coexistenceLiving at the same time in the same place. will ever be possible.

The two-state solutionA proposed solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, which imagines an independent State of Palestine as well as the State of Israel. has remained a stapleAn important part of. A "staple diet" means the food, such as potatoes, pasta, or rice, that someone mainly lives on. among diplomatsOfficials who represent their countries abroad., who hope to see Palestine and Israel established as peaceableTrying to avoid conflict or arguing. side-by-side states living in harmony on fairly distributed territory.

But many believe such a solution could never work. It is opposed by both sides. And there are logistical difficulties, including the resettlement of 5.9 million Palestinians returning to their homeland.

Moreover, some argue that the two-state solution has only ever functioned to support Israel's violence against Palestinians. As casualties soar and suffering becomes all-pervasive in Gaza, faith in a peaceful co-existence is likely to take a nosediveA steep downward plunge by an aircraft..

Is there a way out of the horror?

Yes: If we do not believe in peace, it can never happen. Only extremists from both sides want to see any kind of eradication of the other. Most just want an end to the fighting.

No: Any peace talks would need to take place against the backdrop of an immediate ceasefire. Palestine and Israel cannot build peace while Palestinians are being bombed.

Or... New polls show that the majority of people in Britain support a ban on arms sales to Israel and think that Israel is violating human rights in Gaza. The most immediate diplomatic solution is for a ban on arms sales to take effect.