Kathrine Frich
For families living inside these contested zones, political debates mean very little.
When leaders promise global stability, the reality on the front lines often tells a very different story. Right now, massive diplomatic victories are unravelling everywhere. The carefully crafted agreements simply cannot survive the brutal nature of active combat.
Three broken deals
Recent international reports indicate that three major agreements brokered by US President Donald Trump have completely collapsed. A fragile peace is proving impossible to maintain on the global stage.
One ceasefire shattered as American and Iranian forces resumed direct military strikes.
Meanwhile, a separate peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda recently fell apart in spectacular fashion.
Dagens reported that the two African leaders refused to even shake hands in Washington. That early promise vanished. Shortly after, drone attacks and fresh rebel offensives reignited their four-year war over critical mining resources.
A shrinking map
But the third and most devastating collapse is currently playing out in Gaza. According to NPR nine months after a celebrated ceasefire paused the violence, the situation on the ground looks nothing like peace.
Trump originally pushed a plan requiring Israeli forces to withdraw completely. Instead, the military is quietly taking over more land.
According to NPR, Israeli forces now control nearly 70 percent of Gaza. This rapid expansion includes a highly militarized boundary known as the orange zone.
Troops secured this northern strip back in March. They moved in while global attention was focused heavily on the renewed fighting with Iran.
Nowhere to hide
The changing boundaries have turned lively neighborhoods into absolute ghost towns. In the district of al-Shujaiya, fewer than 50 families remain from a pre-war population of 100,000.
Survivors lack basic clinics and shops. Clean drinking water now requires a dangerous half-hour walk.
Local resident Abu Ahmed Humeid told NPR that tank shelling happens constantly.
“After sunset we put our hand on our heart and just pray,” Humeid said. “No one dares go outside.”
Trapped in the rubble
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently confirmed the push to surround Hamas. When a crowd member demanded total occupation, his response was absolutely clear.
“First, 70%. Let’s go for that,” Netanyahu stated, according to NPR.
For families living inside these contested zones, political promises mean very little. They simply want to survive the night. Niveen al-Hattab and her husband lost their daughter earlier in the war.
Today, they shelter inside a ruined shop with zero alternatives. “Where are we supposed to go? I’ve been displaced a lot already,” Niveen told NPR.
Sources: NPR, Dagens
