On October 7th, 2023, multiple horrific attacks were staged on Israel by a terrorist organization known as Hamas. The attacks were massacres aimed largely at civilians and many hostages were taken. Since the attacks, there has been an ongoing conflict between the Israeli Defense Force(IDF) and Hamas that has included the occupation of the Gaza Strip, the home of Hamas, and missile strikes from both sides. In the United States, there has been much conflict over which faction should receive our support with large protests having taken place many times throughout the country, and the massive contention over the issue has left many wondering what to believe amidst thorough disinformation campaigns.

Hamas fired the first shots of the war on October 7th with multiple targeted strikes on civilian areas, according to the research of Human Rights Watch in an article about war crimes on October 7th:

“On the morning of October 7, Hamas-led Palestinian armed groups carried out numerous coordinated attacks including on civilian residential communities and social events[…] The armed groups attacked at least 19 kibbutzim and 5 moshavim (cooperative communities), the cities of Sderot and Ofakim, 2 music festivals, and a beach party.”

The casualties of the massacre were made up of roughly 60% civilians and more than 200 people were taken as hostages, many of whom are civilians as well. The terrorists did not hold back in their assaults and used thermobaric and rocket-propelled grenades on homes and fired on civilians at close range. During the attacks, Hamas fighters committed numerous war crimes including, but not limited to, killing of people in custody; sexual violence; and the use of human shields. A terrorist organization such as this has no right to try and claim the moral high ground or any sympathy as they face retaliation from their victims.

Israel has a right to protect itself from the continued attacks of Hamas and its allies that have no indication of remorse or intent to stop. Since the first intifada in 1987, Hamas has been attacking Israel, and although there have been brief periods of silence from the organization, it has consistently engaged in violent attacks on Israel. In the 1990s and the early 2000s it was campaigns of suicide bombings, and after taking over the Palestinian government, it became missile strikes on Israel. They have always been a threat to Israel and one of the core beliefs of the militant groups includes the annihilation of Israel.

Since the war’s beginning, Hamas has been using a disinformation campaign to take misguided Western sympathy. An example of such being a video of Hamas fighters with two Israeli kids from the assault that was released in an article from the New Yorker about Hamas’ propaganda war:

“At one point in the video, a masked fighter holds up the two children and addresses the camera: “Look at the mercy in our hearts. These kids—we didn’t kill them like you do.” (At least six children died from rocket fire on October 7th, and Israel’s Channel 12 has named at least nineteen others killed by militants.)”

Framing themselves as victims is a large part of Hamas’ startegy. By seeming as if they are the ones under attack, even a terrorist organization can obtain sympathy from the West and that sympathy makes any efforts from Israel to make what would typically be considered a reasonable response much more convoluted. When Israel has to worry about all their allies stopping aid at every corner, Hamas is able to act with much more freedom despite committing atrocities and proceeding to lie about said atrocities.

While Hamas tends to act as if they are seeking peace, they also support the continuation of armed conflict according to an AP article about Hamas asking for a two-state solution:

“Hamas offers long-term “truces” instead of outright peace. It has dropped open pledges to destroy Israel but endorses “armed resistance” — and says it will fight for liberation of all “the land of Palestine.””

Hamas talking about a two-state solution is simply a continuation of their disinformation campaign against Israel. They will say that they would like to work towards a two-state solution until it comes to the negotiation table. By saying they are open to the solution they push blame onto Israel even though Hamas has rejected multiple two state-solutions from Israel and desires the eradication of the state as a whole.

One of the most used examples of an Israeli war crime is the blocking of aid to Gaza, but research from an article by National Review would argue that is not the full story:

“The U.N. said that 10 truckloads of food aid – transported from the pier site by U.N. contractors – were received on Friday at a World Food Programme warehouse in Deir El Balah in Gaza. But on Saturday, only five truckloads made it to the warehouse after 11 others were cleaned out by Palestinians during the journey through an area that a U.N. official said has been hard to access with humanitarian aid.”

The border between Israel and Palestine has multiple checkpoints for food to go through and food has been air dropped and brought in through the American built pier. The problem is not Israel letting food through, it is that the food can barely make it into Palestine with being stopped and stolen. There have been multiples occasions where aid trucks were stopped on the Palestinian side of the border because it was too dangerous to keep going. Palestine is getting in the way of its own aid and somehow managing to blame Israel.

Judgement has fallen on Israel over the deaths of Palestinians as they are blamed for the many deaths of civilians in Gaza. One of the organization’s elite members has admitted to the intentional placement of Hamas headquarters in an article from The Guardian about this tactic from Hamas:

“Amer Abu Awash, a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force, was asked about the connection between hospitals in Gaza and the “metro”, Hamas’s extensive tunnel network. A handcuffed Awash replied: “Most of them are hidden in the hospitals. [At] Shifa [hospital], for example, there are underground levels”

Israel has been trying to minimize civilian casualties, but to maintain their positions as victims in the media, Hamas hides behind innocents. Every time Israel does not strike because of the civilians, it is a win for Hamas, but everytime Israel strikes back anyway it is still a win for Hamas as the public takes their side. They are headquartering in hospital basements knowing that Israel will be forced to strike back; they do it despite the cost because a terrorist organization such as Hamas has no quarrels using innocent people as tools for social engineering to push their blatant genocide.

Americans need to open their eyes to the reality of the situation. It is time to accept that not all information seen at first glance is trustworthy and that there are those who see them as pawns in an evil game. We need to be better about how we sift through information as a society so dominated by headlines.

We are now obligated, in the face of such horrors as the actions Hamas, to inform ourselves and help the IDF. If we do not assist in the eradication of Hamas through at the very least of military support through the sales of weapons then we will be called to answer for our failure to protect Israel from a second genocide and further tragedies.