People line up to receive food aid in Rafah, Gaza Strip. |
Peace talks on the Gaza conflict continue to be deadlocked. Every day, bombs and shells continue to claim the lives of civilians, including women and children.
In less than 10 days in mid-June 2025, more than 200 Palestinian civilians died while queuing for aid in the Gaza Strip – which should have been the last refuge for life.
It is not only the tragedy of a conflict, but also a painful warning to the civilized world : are humanitarian principles being systematically distorted in the shadow of war?
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), from June 16 to 24 alone, at least 231 civilians were killed and nearly 600 others were injured while receiving aid at food and medical distribution points in Gaza - areas that were established as "humanitarian corridors", far from direct fighting areas.
The majority of victims were women, children and the elderly. Repeated attacks cannot be excused as “operational errors”.
Under the 1949 Geneva Conventions - the cornerstone of international humanitarian law - any attack on civilians and humanitarian facilities is absolutely prohibited. When UN-designated areas become military targets, it is not only a violation of international law, but also an affront to the global conscience.
In Gaza, a bag of bread, a bottle of clean water or a few pills – things that should be symbols of humanity – have become the price of life. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), many civilians have died trying to get to aid stations to get basic necessities.
The “safety belts” have turned into fire targets, where hope is stifled by shells and cries. Humanitarian aid has turned into a cold-blooded trap – a form of violence that not only takes away lives, but also destroys the will and dignity of Palestinians.
This is no longer a “side effect” of war, but a strategy of psychological terrorism, using calculated violence to break the resistance of an entire nation.
Amid the desperate crowds, blood is still spilled. And while each life is exchanged for a bag of rice or a pill, the response from the international community is still mostly limited to familiar phrases: “expressing concern”, “calling for restraint”, “continuing to closely monitor the situation”.
The language designed to maintain peace is now powerless and hollow in the face of a reality where humanitarian law is openly flouted. Attacks on aid corridors are no longer accidents, but a deliberate strategy that challenges the entire international legal system.
On June 3, 2025, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an independent investigation and demanded that Israel restore humanitarian aid without conditions. But so far, blood has been shed, even after the highest-level appeal.
The burning question still hangs:
Are human lives being classified?
Is a child in Gaza less worthy of life than a child in Europe or America?
If silence continues to prevail, then the civilization that humanity prides itself on is ringing the alarm bells - not because of bombs, but because of indifference.
A baby dies before he can even touch a loaf of bread. A mother collapses in the middle of a hungry crowd, still holding her child tightly in her arms. They are not “collateral damage”, but living witnesses to the decline of human morality in our time.
Gaza, amid devastation and ruins, is becoming a mirror of global conscience.
Relatives grieve at the funeral of a victim who was shot while waiting for aid near Al Shifa hospital, June 24, 2025. (Source: Reuters) |
In the face of the tragedy in Gaza, Vietnam has repeatedly spoken out strongly at international forums, expressing deep concern about civilian casualties, especially women and children; and calling for an end to the use of force and strict compliance with international law and international humanitarian law.
Vietnam reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution, where Palestine and Israel coexist in peace and security within recognized borders. It also stressed the central role of the United Nations in ensuring timely and unconditional access to humanitarian aid.
This is not just a foreign policy stance, but a moral declaration of a nation that has experienced war and understands the value of peace.
Gaza today is not just a place under siege – it is a wake-up call for the world. When humanity is weaponized, and silence is shielded by cold diplomacy, every minute of delay is a stab at conscience.
Acting for humanity is not a choice, it is an obligation. Either the world speaks for life - or death speaks for it!
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/gaza-phep-thu-luong-tri-nhan-loai-320899.html
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