update deskIsrael at War

In letter to Biden, ‘Mothers of IDF Soldiers’ calls for end of aid to Hamas-ruled Gaza

"There is no ethical or moral precedent of a just society that places a higher value on the lives of enemy civilians than the lives of its own soldiers."

Israeli soldiers operate against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, Jan. 20, 2024. Credit: IDF.
Israeli soldiers operate against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, Jan. 20, 2024. Credit: IDF.

The Mothers of IDF Soldiers grassroots organization has called on U.S. President Joe Biden to refrain from pressuring Israel to continue allowing aid to pass into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

“There is no ethical or moral precedent of a just society that places a higher value on the lives of enemy civilians than the lives of its own soldiers, and there can be none,” the mothers wrote.

“This is undoubtedly the case in our current context, where the enemy society as a whole supports the goal of eradicating our people and our state, and thousands of Gazans jubilantly participated in the Oct. 7th invasion and slaughter. Many more ‘ordinary’ Gazans continue to commit war crimes against us by hiding hostages and starving them, and by willingly acting as accomplices to Hamas terrorists on the battlefield,” they added.

“As a result, the aid going into Gaza does the exact opposite of what you want it to do. It enables Hamas to keep fighting by keeping Hamas terrorists supplied. The fuel going into Gaza enables Hamas terrorists to
run their generators that keep air circulating in the underground tunnels, prolonging the war and place our soldiers in unnecessary jeopardy,” continued the letter.

The mothers demanded that Washington continue to support the war until Hamas is defeated and all hostages are freed; that no further humanitarian aid or fuel be allowed to pass into Gaza as long as Hamas is stealing it; and that pressure be applied on Egypt to permit Palestinian civilians in Gaza who wish to do so to pass into Sinai and then to third countries.

On Sunday, Israeli protesters converged on the Kerem Shalom border crossing with the aim of preventing aid from passing into Gaza.

“Thousands of people are descending on the crossing in order to block the convoys of supplies and aid to Hamas,” according to a statement released on Sunday by the “Order 9” movement.

“There are very large forces preventing us from reaching the site, and allowing the trucks to pass through to the murderous terrorist organization. … No aid goes through until all of the captives are returned,” it added.

For five straight days, protesters from “Order 9” have demonstrated at the crossing, bypassing police checkpoints set up to prevent their arrival.

The demonstrators include families of the 136 hostages still being held by Hamas, relatives of soldiers killed in action in Gaza, reservists rotated out of combat and civilians evacuated from the northern and southern frontiers.

Below is the full text of the letter to Biden:

Dear President Biden,

We are an organization of mothers of IDF soldiers, who are now serving on the front lines in the war for our national survival, in Gaza, along the northern border, in Judea and Samaria and along Israel’s eastern frontier.

We believe in our sons’ and daughters’ mission to protect our state and our people. We are proud of their accomplishments and courage.
We want to begin with our sincere thanks for your support during these challenging times.

There can be no war more just and moral than the war Israel is currently fighting. After the atrocities the Palestinians, led by Hamas, committed against our people on October 7th, it is clear to all of us that the
very survival of our beloved country, the State of Israel depends on their success. We are certain that through the combination of the iron will of the people of Israel, and the grace of God, we will prevail.

We recognize our sons and daughters as heroes who willingly face risks in answering the call to arms.

We accept the inherent risks our sons and daughters take, but we cannot accept placing their lives in unnecessary danger due to concerns for the enemy population. Israel adheres to international law, which places responsibility for civilian lives on terrorists who use them as shields, not on those justified in attacking the terrorists.

Palestinian survey data shows that Palestinian society wholeheartedly supports the acts of genocide the enemy carried out against our people on October 7th. Thousands of Gazan civilians, including women, elderly and children participated in the slaughter, torture, mutilation, and burning of our brothers and sisters. Ordinary Palestinians gleefully looted our people’s homes and persons on October 7th. The survey
data shows that three-quarters of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria support Hamas and the slaughter Hamas terrorists led on October 7th.

There is no ethical or moral precedent of a just society that places a higher value on the lives of enemy civilians than the lives of its own soldiers, and there can be none. This is undoubtedly the case in our
current context, where the enemy society as a whole supports the goal of eradicating our people and our state, and thousands of Gazans jubilantly participated in the Oct. 7th invasion and slaughter. Many more “ordinary” Gazans continue to commit war crimes against us by hiding hostages and starving them, and by willingly acting as accomplices to Hamas terrorists on the battlefield.

Beyond that, it is now apparent that the Gazan people under Hamas are not receiving the humanitarian assistance. Every day, footage from Gaza shows that Hamas controls the aid coming in, whether from Rafah [in Egypt] or from Kerem Shalom [in Israel]. We have seen repeated scenes of Hamas terrorists firing civilians as they commandeer the aid trucks. As Gazans have repeatedly attested, the aid is not going to them. It is going to Hamas first and Hamas accomplices second. For others to receive aid, they need to stand with Hamas and help it fight against Israel. UNRWA, the UN agency, in charge of distributing the aid, has been credibly accused of being wholly controlled and operating in the service of Hamas.

As a result, the aid going into Gaza does the exact opposite of what you want it to do. It enables Hamas to keep fighting by keeping Hamas terrorists supplied. The fuel going into Gaza enables Hamas terrorists to
run their generators that keep air circulating in the underground tunnels, prolonging the war and place our soldiers in unnecessary jeopardy.

Secure as we are in your friendship, we are certain that this outcome is not the one you seek.

In light of the above, we respectfully request:

A – Israel has to keep fighting until all of our War Cabinet goals are achieved: Hamas is defeated, and our 136 hostages are freed. We do not want our sons and daughters to be called on to fight and risk their lives in another six months, or a year or two years, because we did not finish the job today. We are unwilling to stand idly by and watch the war end in stalemate with evil, or a ceasefire that allows our genocidal enemies to regroup, rebuild and reconstitute their capacity to murder our people.
We believe it is moral imperative to eradicate this pure evil, defined by you, Mr. President—the evil force responsible for a one-day Holocaust on October 7th, still holding 136 of our citizens hostage in Gaza under demonic circumstances. This evil must vanish.

B– No further entry of humanitarian aid or fuel that finally goes to Hamas shortening the life of Hamas to save our hostages and prevent numerous deaths and injuries on both sides is the true humanitarian act.

C – Pressure be placed on the Government of Egypt to permit the civilians in Gaza who are stuck in the war zone to leave Gaza for refuge in third countries. There is no justification for the current state of
affairs, where unlike civilians in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and other war zones, who were permitted—indeed encouraged—to seek refuge in third countries, Gazan civilians are barred from seeking and receiving safety in third countries, even as they strongly express their desire to leave.

A straight line connects to the September 11, 2001 assault on the United States of America and the October 7, 2023 invasion and slaughter against the state and people of Israel. As the U.S. did in the aftermath of
9/11, today Israel is the tip of the spear of the Free World’s war against the forces of evil led by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Dear President Biden, be assured of our unwavering friendship and love for the American people, and our best wishes to your men and women in uniform and their families.

With deepest esteem and regard,

Mothers of IDF Soldiers

The IDF Reservists

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