Gaza War Research Articles

The principle of non-refoulement of refugees within the framework of international law, with application on the war in Gaza.

The principle of non-refoulement of refugees within the framework of international law, with application on the war in Gaza.

Book Forum on Hans Kundnani's Eurowhiteness: Culture, Empire and Race in the European Project

This book forum discusses Hans Kundnani’s pivotal book on “Eurowhiteness” and the role of race in the EU integration project. It includes three reactions from Stefan Auer, Pavel Barša, and Agnes Gagyi, along with Kundnani’s response. Eurowhiteness skillfully reveals what has been obscured by the European Union as a vehicle of “imperial amnesia”. The three reactions and the author’s response continue a polemical discussion on this imperial amnesia, as viewed through different intellectual traditions and regions, including Central and Eastern Europe and anti-colonial perspectives. As a result, the forum uses the book to either deepen the debate on the EU’s civilizationism with new perspectives or expand the Eurowhiteness narrative with new geo-historical contexts and connections. Issues of Russian imperialism in Ukraine, the Israeli war in Gaza, and the economic dimensions of European coloniality are brought to the foreground, particularly when viewed through the imagination and reality of Central (and Eastern) Europe.

Religious nationalists in Palestine and Israel. Back to the start?

The article considers the reasons for the rise of religious nationalism which has been politically coloring the decades long confrontation between the Jews and the Palestinians. The naissance of Palestinian nationalism and the clash of the two national movements under the British mandate warrant a parallel with present-day developments. While the religious component has always been present, albeit to varying degrees, in the discourse of various nationalist forces (liberal, right-wing, socialist), it received a new impetus by the Israeli occupation of Arab lands after 1967 war. The war in Gaza has highlighted the special role that religious nationalists are currently playing on both sides. The rise of religious nationalism, which resulted from the absence of a settlement of the Palestinian problem is a major destabilizing factor. The military confrontation between Hamas and Israel provides additional material for the analysis of religious nationalism at the present stage, its role in creating mutually exclusive narratives and radical practices, increasingly narrowing the possibilities of eventual compromises.

Psychological impacts of the Gaza war on Palestinian young adults: a cross-sectional study of depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD symptoms

BackgroundThe Gaza Strip has been embroiled in a violent military assault since October 2023, with an immense toll on the civilian population. Armed conflicts threaten the mental health of affected communities and survivors, and psychiatric morbidity increases with forced displacement and with severe and recurrent trauma. This study investigates the prevalence and predisposing factors of depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD symptoms in a group of young adult students from the Gaza Strip during the war.MethodsA cross-sectional, internet-based survey recruited medical students from the Gaza Strip and used the DASS21, SWLS, and PCL-5 instruments. PTSD diagnosis required having a PCL-5 score ≥ 23 and fulfilling the DSM-5 criteria. Rates of depression, anxiety, stress, and life satisfaction were compared with a previous dataset collected in 2022. Finally, logistic regression models were fitted using R software to identify factors significantly associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD.ResultsThree hundred thirty-nine medical students participated. Most had been displaced several times, and the great majority had lost a relative, colleague, or friend. Also, a majority had lost their homes and income. 97.05% of participants suffered mild depressive symptoms or higher, while 84.37% and 90.56% reported mild anxiety and mild stress symptoms or higher, respectively. High levels of life dissatisfaction were also found, and 63.40% suffered from PTSD. Symptoms were significantly more prevalent than baseline rates. All participants with PTSD had at least one psychiatric comorbidity. Living in a shelter and having moderate stress symptoms or higher were significantly associated with depression. Being a female, losing a friend, having moderate stress symptoms or higher, and having PTSD predicted having moderate anxiety or higher. Having moderate or higher depression symptoms, moderate or higher anxiety symptoms, and PTSD predicted having moderate stress symptoms or higher. Finally, moderate or higher anxiety and stress symptoms predicted having PTSD.ConclusionThe study detected very high rates of psychiatric disorders among its population of young adult medical students and outlined a myriad of risk factors associated with higher comorbidity. Interventions are needed to prevent a brewing mental health crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Proportionality and Necessity in Israel’s Invasion of Gaza, 2023–2024

Abstract This article seeks to show that Israel’s war in Gaza in 2023 and 2024 has been an unjust war because it has violated both the requirement of proportionality and the requirement of necessity. The article explains the nature of proportionality, arguing that the main form of proportionality in war is simply the limit to the amount of harm inflicted on innocent people that can be justified either as the lesser evil or, more plausibly, on the basis of the special relations between combatants and their fellow citizens. The argument of the article is that, even on the basis of assumptions about moral justification and the numbers of innocent people who have been killed or saved by the war that are highly favorable to Israel, the war has nevertheless been highly disproportionate and morally unnecessary.

The Value of Family Medicine and Female Leadership During the Gaza War

The Value of Family Medicine and Female Leadership During the Gaza War

Psychological distress among students in Egypt and Jordan during the initial months of the Gaza war

BackgroundPsychological distress has significantly impacted students in Egypt and Jordan. These countries have faced many challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the fallout from the conflict in Syria, and the war in Ukraine. These crises have had far-reaching consequences, affecting the economy, food security, and energy supplies, particularly with the increased number of refugees in these countries. Amid these existing complexities, the ongoing war in Gaza further exacerbates the situation, compounding mental health challenges. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze how the war in Gaza impacted the mental health of students in Egypt and Jordan.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study involving students from Egypt and Jordan between December 2023 and January 2024. The questionnaire incorporated the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18) to assess the overall general distress score, as well as the domains of anxiety, somatization, and depression.ResultsA total of 1509 Jordanian and Egyptian students were included in the study, of which 66% were female. Approximately 18% of the students had an elevation (≥ 50) in their BSI-18 total score. Females scored significantly higher in general distress [30 (18–44.25) vs. 24 (11–41), p < 0.001], and all three dimensions. The univariate predictors for elevated general distress (≥ 50) were being Egyptian (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.08, p = 0.014), watching social media multiple times a day (OR 3.04, 95% CI 1.97 to 4.69, p < 0.001), and having a Palestinian connection (friend, neighbor, colleague, or relative) (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.16, p < 0.001). These three predictors were retained in the backward stepwise multivariate regression analysis model. The univariate predictors for moderate and marked general distress (≥ 57) were watching social media multiple times a day (OR 3.26, 95% CI 1.78 to 5.99, p < 0.001) and having a Palestinian connection (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.14, p = 0.026). Only the former was retained in the backward stepwise multivariate regression analysis.ConclusionGeneral distress has increased among students in Egypt and Jordan throughout the War in Gaza. Mental, psychological, and social support activities are necessary for these students, particularly those watching social media multiple times daily. The development of coping skills to manage the additional stressors of war and socioeconomic status necessitates further research within this group of students.

The effects of the Gaza War on Israel’s economy: one year on

ABSTRACT This paper examines the short- and potential long-term economic costs and benefits to Israel from its war with Hamas and Hezbollah that began in October 2023. As of October 2024, Israel’s economy has not returned to its pre-war level of output, and Israel’s government’s debt is increasing to pay for the war. The long run effect of the war will depend on its outcome, but there is potential for a very negative economic effect since the war might cause or contribute to a brain drain of young and talented Israelis. Israel is very vulnerable to a brain drain since it has many high-tech workers who have a comparatively easier time in re-locating to new countries than other workers since with their skills, they should be able to find well-paying jobs in other countries.

Perspectives of Palestinian physicians on the impact of the Gaza War in the West Bank

BackgroundThe West Bank has been under military occupation since 1967. When the Israeli army attacked Gaza after October 7th, 2023, the situation in the occupied West Bank became much worse. We interviewed Palestinian physicians about practicing under occupation and how the Gaza War has impacted their professional and personal lives. MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted from December 2023 to February 2024 and involved 15 individual interviews by reaching out to networks of practicing physicians across the West Bank, purposefully sampling physicians in different geographic locations in hospital and clinic-based practices. The data were analyzed with inductive coding and organized into themes. ResultsViolence and the threat of violence affected many elements of life and health. Restricted mobility, financial hardship, educational challenges, and fear about safety and the future affected physical and psychological health, making patients sicker and physicians' jobs harder. Lack of medications and treatments worsened chronic medical conditions. Mental health care was in demand due to acute stress and persistent trauma. Physicians struggle fulfilling their professional commitment to care for patients. They worried about the future and struggled to care for their families. ConclusionLife under occupation on the West Bank has become harsher and more violent with the Gaza War. The chronic exposure to trauma and ongoing uncertainty about the future impact physicians and the next generation of healthcare professionals who will care for their traumatized population. Despite the violations of international codes physicians continued to “honor their duties” to their patients and students.

Observations from the World of Kafka, Schweik and Havel: Christians and the War in Gaza (Editorial)

Editorial

The Value of Negotiation Research in Perilous Times

Abstract Over the past 30 years, articles in this journal and elsewhere have offered insights and advice about making our world more peaceful through negotiation. This time in history provides a moment for reflection about the contributions we have made. This article shows how research findings add value for solving practical problems. Examples include two contemporaneous conflicts, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza. We also explore issues that could trigger tipping points and spur greater global unrest, as well as avenues that could help reduce growing tensions: the world of international diplomacy, global climate diplomacy, insights on summitry, and negotiation skills training. These contributions are evaluated for ease of application, attentiveness of practitioners, and impact. We conclude optimistically: While research will not save us from the horrors of war, it can enhance our understanding of how to make the world a little safer for peace.

‘Well, our goal is to achieve sustainable quiet and security for our people’: Negotiating calls for ceasefires in the Gaza war of 2014 in mainstream English news media by Israeli spokespersons

In this study, we examined how calls for ceasefires were negotiated by Israeli spokespersons in mainstream English news media during one instance of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: the Gaza War of 2014. Recent scholarship in peace studies has begun to examine how ‘peace’ and ‘violence’ are variously constructed to advance vested positions. We extend this focus through a discursive psychological examination of another ostensibly desirable outcome in conflicts, namely ‘ceasefire’. Findings show that the desirability of ceasefires and their negotiation is closely bound to the management of stake and interest by both media persons and Israeli spokespersons. The latter neither explicitly rejected nor accepted calls for ceasefires. Instead, they downgraded ceasefires in favour of other versions of cessation of conflict, framed as ‘sustainable peace’. This allowed for the non-acceptance of ceasefires while, paradoxically, justifying ongoing and further military actions in Gaza. Together, these findings point to the relevance of psychological practices of justifying, managing stake, and avoiding seeming committed to violence in talking about conflict and peace. Findings are discussed in relation to research in peace and political psychology, and implications for the ongoing attacks on Gaza.

A new politics of international criminal justice: accountability in Ukraine and the Israel–Gaza war

Abstract Protecting civilian populations affected by violent conflict and mass atrocities is a challenge in global politics, particularly in view of the persistence of contestation over the application of the Responsibility to Protect principle and geopolitical gridlock in the UN Security Council. Over the past decade, there has been a pronounced rise in international accountability mechanisms to fill protection gaps in the multilateral system. Increasingly, international accountability mechanisms have been activated in the early phases of conflict situations to counter atrocities, promoting protection in ‘real time’. This article proposes that the deepening association between accountability and protection is best understood as an emergent human protection transnational legal order (HPTLO), a mode of decentralized governance that was driven by diverse agency across borders and aimed at solving problems of a global reach through legal ordering. The article provides an account of the formation and character of the HPTLO, demonstrates how it is operating in the context of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and identifies key risks and opportunities that these developments present to the global governance of human protection.

Images of the Israel-Gaza War on Instagram: A Content Analysis of Western Broadcast News Posts

This quantitative content analysis examined how popular Western broadcast news channels—BBC News, CNN, Fox News, Sky News, and MSNBC—used Instagram (IG) to cover the initial phase of the fifth Israel–Gaza war of the 21st century, which began on October 7, 2023. The research was undergirded by framing theory and the victim/defensive mode of reporting model. Overall, findings suggest that Western broadcast IG reporting was decidedly pro-Israel. Studied outlets consistently favored Israeli and pro-Israeli sources over Palestinian and pro-Palestinian sources; highlighted Israeli victims while neglecting Palestinian victims; and framed Israeli violence as self-defense while framing Palestinian violence as aggression.

How U.S. Presidential elections strengthen global hate networks

Local or national politics can be a catalyst for potentially dangerous hate speech. But with a third of the world’s population eligible to vote in 2024 elections, we need an understanding of how individual-level hate multiplies up to the collective global scale. We show, based on the most recent U.S. presidential election, that offline events are associated with rapid adaptations of the global online hate universe that strengthens both its network-of-networks structure and the types of hate content that it collectively produces. Approximately 50 million accounts in hate communities are drawn closer to each other and to a broad mainstream of billions. The election triggered new hate content at scale around immigration, ethnicity, and antisemitism that aligns with conspiracy theories about Jewish-led replacement. Telegram acts as a key hardening agent; yet, it is overlooked by U.S. Congressional hearings and new E.U. legislation. Because the hate universe has remained robust since 2020, anti-hate messaging surrounding global events (e.g., upcoming elections or the war in Gaza) should pivot to blending multiple hate types while targeting previously untouched social media structures.

Chinese Weaponry in Contemporary Middle Eastern Conflicts

AbstractThis article examines the role of Chinese armaments in recent Middle Eastern conflicts, showing that although their use has increased over the past decade, they remain less numerous or significant compared to those from the United States and Russia. Chinese‐made weapons have been used in conflicts in Gaza, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Lebanon due to affordability, streamlined procurement processes, and improved quality. China's critics have alleged that it has played a negative role in these conflicts through proliferation, claims that Beijing has consistently denied. This research investigates the accuracy of these charges and assesses whether China's role should be considered prominent. The study examines weapons that have been used in five ongoing regional conflicts, including the Gaza war. It finds that, unlike Washington and Moscow, which have deliberately transferred military equipment to the region, China has avoided intentionally directing armaments to Middle Eastern conflict zones. Instead, Chinese arms have been redistributed by third parties. The analysis concludes that China's strategy of balancing its relationships across states in conflict has limited the amount of its weapons in the region and kept the impact of those armaments to a minimum.

Constitutional Overhaul, the War in Gaza, and the Puzzle of Civic Mobilization in Israel

Abstract Much has been written on the constitutional overhaul in Israel, and the attendant constitutional crisis in the first nine months of 2023. Since October 7, however, with the breakout of the Israel-Gaza war, the overhaul was seemingly shelved. This Article seeks to connect both events, by comparing the legal-political response to the overhaul with the legal-political response to the war. It asks why, given the intensity of the protest movement generated by the overhaul, there was a dearth of protest activity after the war, even though both events implicated similar values, namely the rule of law and individual rights, championed by the protest movement. I argue that a central reason for the disparity cannot only be explained by the dynamics of war but also due to the tensions and complexities inherent in Israel’s self-professed constitutional identity as a Jewish and democratic state. In particular, I argue that anti-overhaul protests appealed to liberal universalist values to garner bipartisan support, with the effect of bypassing substantive issues such as the occupation of the Palestinian Territories and discrimination faced by Israeli Palestinians. This explains the lack of Arab participation in the protests, as many perceived them to be an internal Jewish Affair. Thus, when post-war repressive measures mostly affected Israeli Palestinians, the protest movement failed to rally in their support. Although anti-overhaul protests could have brought about greater liberal consolidation in Israel, the relative lack of post-war mobilization casts lingering doubts on the possibility of long-term consolidation of liberal values in Israel. Attempts to depoliticize the protests, while perhaps successful in warding off the overhaul, and though impressive on their own, have likely failed in instilling deeper, more resilient, liberal values in Israel.

Daniel Bar‐Tal, on the Israeli‐Palestinian conflict, before and after October 7, 2023: In conversation with James Liu and Veronica Hopner

AbstractThe Israel‐Palestinian conflict is one of the most well‐known and polarizing issues that has impacts on societies, and institutions beyond Israel, and Palestine. This interview with prominent social scientist Daniel Bar‐Tal, Professor Emeritus, School of Education, Tel Aviv University, focused on the situation in Israel and Palestine following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza. Interviews such as this are an academic inquiry drawing on the expert analysis of a scholar‐activist, grounded in research and theory. As such an analysis, Bar‐Tal explains the causes of this war, its context, its process, the contribution of each side to its escalation, and its effects on the possibilities of peaceful conflict resolution between Israeli Jews and Palestinians. He describes the current situation as governed by considerations of realpolitik, contestations over what defines antisemitism, and whether Israeli conduct in Gaza constitutes genocide or ethnic cleansing. This interview enables the application of Bar‐Tal's systematic and holistic Theory of Intractable Conflict to the current crisis to interrogate how ethos of conflict, collective memory, and collective emotional orientation dynamically interconnect to form a culture of conflict. But also, how these elements can also be addressed for solutions to enable peaceful resolutions.

Brain Drain or Brain Circulation? The Impact of Gaza’s 7th October War on the Displaced Academicians and Personnel of Higher Education Institutions

The unprecedented Gaza war in October 2023 had a catastrophic impact on the Palestinian higher education sector in the Gaza Strip: deaths, injuries, psychological trauma to educators, and destruction to educational premises and their facilities. Major concerns include displacement, diminished access to education, and the subsequent exodus of qualified professionals from the country. These factors are exacerbated by increasing reduction or complete cessation of education, and infrastructure degradation in the war zone areas. This study aims to explore and examine the impact of the Gaza war crisis on higher education academicians and personnel which has intrinsically hampered education, research, and science. This study adopts a qualitative method by interviewing university academicians from Gaza addressing the impact of the war crisis on their careers. These interviews scope the barriers and sketch the scale and nature of challenges for the higher educational sector during the war aiming to record the most important decisions and interventions to maintain the continuity of the education process forward.

Iran's Neighborhood Policy: Parameters, Objectives, and Obstacles

AbstractIn April 2024, Iran launched its first‐ever military strikes on Israeli soil. While the United States and its allies see Tehran as potentially stoking the Gaza war and spreading the conflict across the region, the Islamic Republic has actually drawn its neighbors closer and enjoys friendlier relations with them today than at nearly any point in its 45‐year history. This rapprochement had been pursued informally by successive Iranian administrations since the late 1980s. However, it was formally adopted as the “good‐neighbor policy” by President Ebrahim Raisi, who served from 2021 until his death in a May 2024 helicopter crash. Raisi's successor, Masoud Pezeshkian, has both the desire to continue the policy and a favorable regional environment within which to do so. Despite serious challenges, Iran has improved engagement with longtime rivals like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE. Even cross‐border clashes with the Taliban in Afghanistan have been downplayed in favor of dialogue. Neighborly policies are impermanent. A number of structural and political obstacles could change Iran's calculations, but the approach is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.