Dear Israel and Hamas,
You are both representatives of a group of people. Your followers are human beings, and so are your enemies, they are people, too. They grew up in the same holy lands, now unholy sands, as you.
Dear Hamas
For you, Hamas, understand that 7.145 million Israeli Jews of whom are mostly civilians, are human beings, who due to unfortunate circumstances, were born several hundred meters on the other wrong side of the wall, and had to grow up in constant fear of acts of terror committed on them or their loved ones.
On October 7th, 2023, the Israelis suffered a national tragedy, with the largest genocide of ethnic Jews, since the Holocaust in the 1930s. Equivalent to fifteen September 11th World Trade Center 911 Attacks, if we account for deaths per capita. Leading to the death of 1,139 human beings (Wikipedia 2023).
Of those poor souls, 695 were Israeli civilians, 36 were Israeli children, 71 were foreigners, and 373 were military personnel. On that same day, Hamas took 250 hostages, of which 30 of those poor souls were children.
Hamas, you planned October 7th for several years. In fact, intelligence agencies in Israel uncovered the blueprint, for the attack, a year in advance (Bergman 2023). They likely dismissed it at the time, due to its lofty ambitions, which sounded less like a Blackadder Cunning Plan, and, closer to the script of a John Wick film.
Hamas militants planned, trained, and prepared for the attacks for at least a year. Knowing full well, the proportionate response from Israel, should their cunning plan be successful, would involve many Palestinian civilian casualties.
Hamas, your trap has sprung, and your plan went off without a hitch. You have taken the public opinion of the international community hostage. The public outcry over the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian civilians has drowned out concerns for the real Israeli hostages.
You set up Israel to fail, knowing they could not resist, your war drums of generational hatred, the battle cry of genocide, and, a provocation of unimaginable scale and horror.
Israel, as Admiral Ackbar would say, "It's a trap!" And you took the bait, hook, line, and sinker...
Dear Israel
For you, Israel, understand the 2.3 million Palestinian population of mostly women and children, are human beings, who due to unfortunate circumstances, were born several hundred meters on the wrong side of the wall, had to grow up in an open-air apartheid prison state.
The day after October 7th, 2023, and for (nearly) every day since (except for the temporary humanitarian ceasefire) the Palestinian civilian population has been the subject of indiscriminate bombing. Equivalent to nine-hundred September 11th World Trade Center 911 Attacks, if we account for deaths per capita. As of December 18th, 2023, the deaths of 19,453 human beings have been recorded (AJLabs 2023). Of those poor souls, 7,729 were Palestinian children, 5,153 were Palestinian women.
If we account for casualties - not only the dead but the injured - then 52,286 Palestinian civilians are injured. Of those poor souls, 8,663 were Palestinian children, and 6,327 were Palestinian women.
A military campaign of collective punishment via maximized collateral damage in a fruitless endeavour to eliminate Hamas, whose only meaningful result, has been to bolster support for Palestine in the international community, and radicalize more Palestinians to the Hamas cause.
Israel you are not Hamas. Now it's time you started acting like it.
Israel & Hamas, remember, the only way to beat the Nazis, is not to become them, be better!
References:
- Wikipedia (2023). Wikipedia. Casualties of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. [Available]: https://bit.ly/4751bDJ
- AJLabs (2023). Aljazeera. Israel-Gaza war in maps and charts: Live tracker. [Available]: https://bit.ly/4719PmJ
- Bergman R, Goldman, A (2023). New York Times. Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago. [Available]: https://archive.is/OCfvq
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