In a Dec. 29, 2023 article titled “Two investigations put renewed scrutiny on Israel’s Gaza offensive,” The Washington Post yet again quoted the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry as if its statements were fact, not even noting that it is controlled by a terrorist organization with a vested interested in promoting incendiary propaganda. Instead, the Post simply states, “Israel’s aggressive response to the attacks—a mission to eradicate Hamas—has killed 21,507 and injured 55,915 people in the enclave, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.”
What does the failure to acknowledge that the Gaza Health Ministry is essentially a weapon in Hamas’s media war say about the Post’s credibility?
Israel is claiming that about half of those deaths were combatants, which would mean the ratio of civilians to combatants killed is 1:1. If true, this would make the IDF’s operations in Gaza the most humane in the history of urban warfare. Of course, all civilian deaths are horrific, but every one of them is Hamas’s responsibility.
As far as the Post’s charge that Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre is “aggressive,” it should be noted that Hamas is still firing rockets at Israeli civilians. This indicates that Israel isn’t being aggressive enough. Instead, Israel is holding back to assuage its allies, which only prolongs the war.
Enemies of Israel shriek that Hamas needs an Iron Dome to protect its people. But Hamas already has an “Iron Dome”: The civilians it cynically uses as human shields. Israel has called off numerous attacks to avoid harming these civilians. Israel has also created civilian corridors for those leaving the combat zone, while knowing full well that Hamas terrorists will exploit them in order to escape Israel’s military operations. Israel gets no credit from the Post for this or anything else, while the Post continues to aid and abet Hamas in its campaign to garner international sympathy. The Post does not even bother to ask why Hamas has refused to allow civilians to use its tunnel system to protect themselves.
Nor does the Post ask why Egypt won’t take in Gazan civilians, even temporarily. The Sinai has plenty of room for them. The Post fails to note that Egypt could have saved countless lives but chose not to. Nor does the Post note that removing Hamas’s human shields from harm’s way would help Israel reduce civilian casualties by winning the war more quickly.
Most importantly, the Post makes no mention of the fact that Hamas’s tunnel system is ruinously expensive and has been financed by stolen aid funds. Imagine if Hamas had used those funds to build a beautiful seaside enclave akin to Singapore instead.
