Twenty-Five Thousand Tragedies

Hamas’ War on Palestine

Only a monster could look at the devastation in Gaza and not be moved to tears. 

And only a fool could look at it and blame Israel. 

Hamas, in addition to all of the unspeakable crimes they have committed against the Jewish people, has committed an even greater crime against their own – they have turned innocent Palestinian people into politically expendable propaganda pieces. 

Whether the number of civilians who have died is 25,000 or 2500, the fact remains the same: Hamas killed them all, and the blood-guilt of their deaths rests on their heads alone. 

Hamas has held power in Gaza for 15 years. In that time, they have built a network of 300 miles of underground tunnels, and they have fired over 100,000 rockets into Israel. 

Fifteen years is a long time. In that time, the U.S. has had four presidents, Russia has invaded Ukraine not once but twice, and the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. 

Fifteen years is a long time, and Hamas spent all 15 of those years preparing for October 7th. 

They have invested neither time nor money in the education of Palestine, the infrastructure of Palestine, or the future of Palestine. 

They have, however, invested in violence. 

The terror tunnels are a disgusting demonstration of political selfishness. Everytime I see someone post a picture of a Gazan child surrounded by rubble, I become overwhelmed with anger. 

The reason that building was bombed is because Hamas started this war on October 7th. 

The reason that building crumbled so is because Hamas put more concrete into their tunnels than their civilian infrastructure. 

The reason that buildings continue to fall is because Hamas has not released any more hostages — hostages being held in the tunnels.  

The tunnels represent the crowning achievement of 15 years of Hamas. 

(Consider how much time and effort went in to building these tunnels. Imagine if any of that time had been invested in the Palestinian people)

The result of 15 years of sovereignty has been the creation of the world’s most advanced kidnapping network to date. 

Hamas is a uniquely evil organization in the world. They lack all compassion, even for their own. 

They have put every Gazan civilian in jeopardy so that they could launch the most violent pogrom in modern history. 

Why?  

Because their hatred of the Jews is greater than their love for their people. 

Golda Meir said as much 50 years ago. 

The difference now, however, is that western observers have lost their powers of discernment. They have lost their ability to tell the difference between who started a fight and who finished it. They have lost their ability to discriminate. 

One of the blackest ironies in the western coverage of this war has been the discourse around the “indiscriminate bombing of Gaza by the IDF.” 

Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Hamas launched a pogrom of indiscriminate violence against the Israeli civilian population. They accomplished zero strategically important goals on October 7th. Meanwhile, they have been hiding hostages beneath hospitals and civilian centers and launching rockets at Israeli cities. 

If there has been any indiscriminate bombing, it has been Hamas’ bombing of Israel, not Israel’s bombing of Gaza. 

No one can deny that there have been tremendous tragedies in this war, but anyone who places the blame on Israel when Hamas has been planning this war for a decade is either foolish or antisemitic, or maybe both. 

An immediate ceasefire and an end to all hostilities is the only strategic policy a caring and thoughtful person can support right now. An immediate end to Hamas’ bombing of Israel, an immediate end to the use of hospitals and schools as military headquarters, and an immediate return of all the hostages.

Until that happens, there will continue to be widespread death and destruction. Until then, Palestinian civilians will continue to die at the hands of Hamas. 

Israel may be holding the gun, but Hamas is pulling the trigger. 

The Palestinian people deserve better than to be used as cannon fodder for Hamas’ propaganda machine. They deserve to live in peace, with safe homes and good schools. They deserve freedom and justice — they do not deserve Hamas. 

Israel is not the source of all Palestinian suffering in the world, as Hamas has made so many of our former friends believe.

At some point, the west will need to repent for having supported this lie for 15 years and empowering Hamas’ campaign of catastrophe. Until then, the truth is that all of the bloodguilt of this war rests solely upon the heads of Hamas. 

Israel did not start this war, but Israel will finish it. 

I pray for an immediate ceasefire and an end to all hostilities and the liberation of the Palestinian people from the yoke of Hamas.

However, until they lay down their arms and surrender, Hamas will continue to bloody its hands with the lives of Palestinian civilians.