Last month, B&K Agency facilitated the visit of the Italian stakeholders to Israel upon the invitation of the Gaza Humanitarian Fund and Israel’s Defense & Security Forum.
The trip took place at a challenging time in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza. The delegation paid a visit to the commemoration sites of October 7th massacre. These included visits to the incursed military bases, kibbutz Nahal Oz, the site of the Nova festival, and Kerem Shalom crossing of the Gaza Strip – Israel – Egypt border in charge of facilitating humanitarian goods arriving from Egypt towards Gaza.
The delegation conducted closed door meetings with the members of the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get a hand-on position on the situation in Gaza.
Key observations:
– At the time of the visit, humanitarian distribution processes conducted operations around the clock, facing continuous logistical blocks from the Hamas.
– The complex environment of Middle Eastern religious and cultural clashes that led to the formation of the Muslim Brotherhood make it challenging for the Western counterparts and a broader population to grasp the complexity of the conflict.
– While ongoing peace efforts offer hope for stability in the region, it remains important to recognize that international pressure on Hamas has been limited. Reports indicate that Hamas continues to engage in serious human rights abuses within Gaza, independent of Israeli military activity. Even as diplomatic progress is made, it is essential that international pressure on Hamas continues to ensure accountability and the protection of civilians.
– Beyond the ongoing peace keeping processes, the pain on both sides of the border is growing and will require a long time for healing.
Lastly, the delegation was invited to visit the Pilgrimage Road at the infamous city of David, just two days following the official inauguration by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
