Prolonged

This seems futile at first glance.

The Philippine government has raised the Gaza Crisis Alert Level to 4. That means it is now mandatory for all Filipinos in the enclave to evacuate.

But there is no means for the affected Filipinos to comply. The entirety of the Gaza enclave is fenced in. It has been described as the world’s largest prison.

The Rafa exit in southern Gaza, on the border with Egypt, has been opened. But Filipinos will have to compete with tens of thousands of Palestinians seeking a way to safety.

Relief goods and civilian volunteers arriving through Egypt could not enter Gaza. The roads in the enclave leading to Rafa have been so badly bombed, they have been described as “inoperable.” Everyone seeking a path to safety will have to walk.

Israel instructed the people of northern Gaza to move south of the river that cuts the territory in half. The UN has denounced the instructions as “impossible.” An estimated 1.1 million civilians will have to move to comply with Israeli instructions.

Meanwhile, Israel has been massing troops and armor along its border with Gaza. Some lighting raids have been conducted by Israeli commandos trying to find over a hundred hostages Hamas fighters took back with them.

There is, imaginably, great diplomatic pressure on Israel to delay its expected ground offensive. Diplomats from several countries are frantically trying to find a workable solution to the hostage problem. Senior US officials have been criss-crossing the troubled region to meet with the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and the UAE.

Meanwhile, the US Navy has moved a second carrier strike force close to the Israeli coast. It is unprecedented for the US Navy to concentrate two carrier strike forces in one area. The move is seen as a signal to other nations that might want to jump into the fighting.

Specifically, the US is worried that Iran could send more weapons to the Hezbollah in southern Lebanon – or even fire its own missiles at Israel. The two carrier strike groups could help intercept these hostile missiles.

The Israel Defense Force and the Hezbollah have been engaged in artillery exchanges the past few days – although analysts say the situation has not