“The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza came into effect Sunday, halting more than 15 months of devastating war…” – The Washington Post, Jan. 19, 2025
All of that statement is true except for one word: “war.”
War has traditionally involved two or more nations, with soldiers, equally armed. At least, that’s what we think of when we hear the word.
But in this case, we’ve seen relentless bombardment with bombs and missiles causing the destruction of institutions (e.g. hospitals, schools) and homes, the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza (mainly women, children, and elderly), a sprinkling of aid workers, and a few Hamas “terrorists” – all inflicted by one side, Israel. (I mean its government and military as directed by Netanyahu.)
That is not a “war.” It’s annihilation.
The above image was generated by AI, after I gave it the key words “War destruction city bombs bodies.” It’s similar to what’s been taking place in Gaza as we’ve all seen on the nightly news for over a year.
Yes, it is totally true as I’ve said before that Hamas terrorists emerged from Gaza and committed an unthinkable surprise attack – a barbarous massacre on October 7, 2023, killing, burning, raping or maiming over 1,200 innocent Israelis and taking some 200 as hostages. Women, men, babies, elderly, youths at a music festival, certainly none of them deserved their terrible fate. I know! And yet…
…After all of the disproportionate revengeful deaths and destruction in Gaza thanks to Mr. Netanyahu, the numbers of Islamic terrorists – anti-Israel to be sure, but now hating all Jews everywhere with renewed venom – have probably increased a thousandfold or more. It’s worse than ever in the Middle East, and I for one do not want to see how this unfolds in the future.
Imagine the hatred that has built up in Palestinians, those who may have been grudgingly accepting of their lot in their occupied lands before this so-called war… imagine how they feel now. I can, if I try. And you can too, if you’ve ever felt empathy for the poor, the powerless, the victims, the dispossessed, the homeless, the broken and devastated families. Sons and daughters gone. Limbs torn off. Fathers dead. Mothers dead along with their babies. Bombs spare no one. Even in maternity wards in hospitals, in preemie incubators, cradles, tents… Hardly any food… milk… water…
Please spare me any right-wing talking points. I understand that you want to eliminate Hamas. And now Hezbollah as well. That’s probably not going to happen: you can’t kill an idea. (I refer you to Vietnam.) Instead, you’ve given them even more reason to hate you… and us peacenik Jews, too. And now you’ve created far greater numbers of them!
Of course I’m glad about the ceasefire, and the release of some of the hostages. But I don’t have a lot of hope for what lies ahead – at least, not as long as Netanyahu remains at Israel’s helm.
Crossed Eyes and Dotted Tees 
It is an absolute tragedy, Ellie, with a toll that goes beyond the death count. I hope the exchange of hostages/prisoners goes as planned and that desperately needed aid is finally allowed into Gaza. Thank you for writing this, for your courage and your empathy. I appreciate you. ❤️
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Thank you so much for your understanding and your empathy too, Sharon! It’s just been so terrible, I *have* to speak out! I’m not really sure about my “courage” though – I’m debating whether to upload it to LinkedIn where I usually share my blog posts. I fear trolls etc.
It all makes me wonder if, back in 1903, Theodor Herzl’s first Zionist vision might have been better – he thought maybe Uganda would’ve been a good place for a Jewish homeland! But probably indigenous peoples were already living there too, no?? Must research this. Need more info! Sigh. 💖
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Re. Uganda. There was /are indigenous populations living almost everywhere on the planet. Uganda wasn’t a better option from that point of view just a very different one.
General argument. I couldn’t agree more about Netanyahu, his government and their destructive strategy in Gaza by which I mean a counterproductive strategy for all parties involved. I also couldn’t agree more about fueling anti-semitism the world over. Unfortunately it was on the rise before Hamas’ disgusting attack in October 2023 and has skyrocketed since.
And yes Sharon, I agree with your characterization: it is a tragedy.
All that said, I hope that the ceasefire sticks, the hostages are released alive and that a longer term plan for rebuilding relations gets underway with the help of some Arab states, other international actors and importantly, is backed by a wide swath of Israelis.
Mimi
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Thanks for your astute comments, Mimi. I especially love your closing remarks, mentioning that rebuilding should involve help from international actors including Arab states. I don’t doubt that most Israelis will support this too. They are sickened by Netanyahu’s scorched-earth policy unleashed over the past 15 months. He has been designated a war criminal by the International Criminal Court; he’s a terrible embarrassment to most Israelis. Good friends of mine couldn’t stand it any longer; they uprooted themselves and brought their adult kids with them here to Canada (she’s from here originally).
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Ellie,
I hope you’re right about the majority of Israelis as I have some doubts on this essential point. Indeed there has been opposition to Netanyahu and his government, maybe growing in size and volume as the hostage crisis wore on month after month. That said, at least in the press that I read and as a friend pointed out to me a couple of months ago, there has been a deafening absence of Israelis ready to defend the basic rights of Palestinian civilians living in Gaza.
I assume many Israelis won’t explicitly admit to it but may possibly reason that if Hamas is tunneled in Gaza and enmeshed with the civilian population, there was/is nothing to do but bomb Gaza to rid Israel of Hamas. And the beat goes on.
War (violent conflict) sucks.
mimi
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I only have my friends’ first-hand accounts to go by. I guess we wouldn’t know the full story unless there was a referendum or an election, neither of which is on the agenda just now. Sigh.
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