General Discussion

The German government started a war and 600,000 German civilians, including children, were killed by allied air raids.

The Japanese government started a war and almost one million Japanese civilians, including children, were killed. (About 250,000 were killed by the atomic bombs, the rest were killed by air raids.)

Hamas is the government of Gaza. Hamas started a war with Israel. Civilians in Gaza are suffering.

After the second bomb fell on Nagasaki the Japanese Supreme Council was deadlocked on the issue of surrender. The emperor intervened, declaring that continuing the war would lead to the destruction of the nation. He therefore decided to accept the Allied terms for surrender. Hamas can likewise end the suffering in Gaza by surrendering and returning the hostages. But they will not because they see all Palestinians, including children, as soldiers in the war to eradicate Israel. This is why Hamas does not distinguish between military and civilian deaths. According to Hamas all Palestinians should be martyrs to the cause. Israel is not trying to kill all Palestinians (that would be actual genocide), they are trying to defeat Hamas. Unfortunately in this war Israel's enemy is hiding behind civilians in a high density urban area. The suffering will end when Hamas either surrenders or is defeated.

People who blame Israel for the suffering need to answer this question; what should Israel do about Hamas?
Should Israel simply stop the fighting and allow Hamas to continue their rule of Gaza and wait for the next October 7th?

Should Israel leave Gaza? Remember Israel withdrew completely from Gaza in 2005. Since then Gaza had been an autonomous self-governing region. After 2005 Gaza received billions in foreign aid. Instead of using the money to build a nation, Hamas used the money to build tunnels underneath schools and hospitals, and buy rockets to fire into Israel. They did this because they believe it is their holy mission to destroy Israel, even if they have to sacrifice their own children.

I am not saying Israel is blameless, they are not. Israel has made many mistakes, particularly on the West Bank. I also believe that Netanyahu is more interested in staying out of jail then ending the war. However all the problems come from one source; the refusal of Hamas, and others like them, to accept the existence of a Jewish nation in the middle of the Arab Muslim world. It is that one fundamental attitude that is the source of all problems. Imagine how different history would be if the Arab countries had accepted the 1948 partition.