Unprecedented Gaza-Israel war.

Since 2005, when Israeli troops left the Gaza Strip after 38 years of direct occupation, Israel has been periodically making war with Gaza every two to three years - each time killing thousands, razing infrastructure to ground and forcing Gazans to displace themselves within the stripy clasp of the city which is, by the way, the largest open-air prison of the world.

The Gazan are disallowed to use their air, water or land for engagement with the outer world. They cannot trade or travel, and they cannot have an airport, an army or an embassy. Though situated in the centre of the globe, they are completely isolated from it. Israel commits every kind of genocidal act on the Gazans - from repeated, un-proportional killings, to bombing homes of civilians, to using phosphorus bombs, and frequently cutting of supplies of food, fuel, electricity and water, practically making the health, education and even bare survival of the community impossible.

In this backdrop of constant depravation, collective incarceration and constant fear of attack, the people of Gaza do retaliate, time and again, by way of stone-pelting, sending incendiary balloons and shooting off homemade bombs at the most - every time just showing their anger and resent; every time harming the Israelis in the least possible ways.

So, what happened this weekend? Why did the impoverished, famine-stricken Gazans feel the need to stand up to the affluent and the most improvised fighting force across their fence? How did they have the courage to attack a rival with so many strong allies when all its own allies have repeatedly proven to fail it? What had changed?

In this unprecedented attack the Gazans have so far killed over 1,200 Israelis; they have entered and attacked their cities; taken hundreds as hostages. In retaliation, this time too, the Gazans have faced, so far, over 900 deaths, suffered over two thousand Israelis air attacks. And more than 260,000 have been displaced from their homes within the tiny confine of the city, in the fear of being bombed.

While Biden, Sunak and Macron have univocally vowed their support for Israel; Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have held Israel responsible for Gaza escalation; and Iran, though denying any direct involvement, has voiced full support for the Palestinians. Erdogan has gone a step ahead calling for an 'independent, geographically integrated Palestinian state'.

On ground the situation is getting dire as the US deploys more warships close...