My Message to the Innocent Palestinians in Gaza
Youhave no electricity, water, or fuel. Your homes are being bombed and you havebeen told to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip, ahead of an IDF ground invasion.You cry out to the world for help. You ask us to hear your pain. But eventhough the majority of you are innocent, this is difficult, because yourleaders attacked us. Attack is not really the appropriate word. It wouldbe more fitting to say that your leaders massacred us.
Theloss of civilians anywhere is tragic, and unfortunately many civilians arekilled during warfare. But in this case, as in the past, there are two sides andthey are not morally equal.
On the one hand, there are those who specificallytarget civilians. They shoot and kill men and women, children and the elderly,in their homes and at their parties. They take babies and grandparents hostage,and destroy families and burn their homes.
On the other hand, there are thosewho say 'Evacuate your homes," because, as IDF spokesman Rear Adm. DanielHagari today told reporters, "We are fighting a terror group, not theGazan population. We want civilians not to be harmed, but we cannot live withthe rule of Hamas-ISIS near our border."
Doyou not see the difference? We try not to harm civilians while Hamasspecifically targets civilians. They dance in the streets and give out sweetswhen Israelis are killed, and it doesn't matter if the victim was a solder or ateenager. Hamas has ruled the Gaze Strip in a reign of terror, teaching murder inits curriculum.
Palestiniansof Gaza, we made a mistake for many years thinking that Hamas was acting in yourbetter interests. We opened our gates for your workers; we allowed yourfishermen to sail their boats. We allowed money into the Gaza Strip, thinkingit would be used for schools and hospitals. Instead, Hamas stockpiled rocketsand grenades, rifles and mortars. All in a calculated plan to launch amurderous assault on Israeli citizens.
Hamashas failed you and you are paying the price. We know you are suffering, in thedark and without basic necessities, but it is Hamas that is responsible forthis war.
We ask you to get out of the way. We don't want to harm you, andcertainly not to kill you. We would prefer to live near you, side by side aspeaceful neighbors, and we tried this many times in the past. What we areasking you now is that along with your cries for help, you should also cry outagainst what Hamas has done, not only to us, but to you as well.
Originally posted on The Times of Israel.
Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash.Photo published on August 13, 2022.
