Debunking Four Myths About Israel's Siege on Gaza

Responding to a critic and rebuking propaganda with receipts

Last week I asked my city council to divest from Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, and received several angry emails in response.

One critic emailed the below objections, and pretty thoroughly captured the majority of complaints of those who oppose divestment. They said:

Interesting idea but when will you mention that it was Hamas that began the conflict by attacking and killing over 1200 civilians? Do you consider this a war crime? Do you mention that Hamas has been responsible for continuing the conflict by still holding innocent civilians as hostages? I might also ask about Hamas stealing the food and medical supplies supplied by Israel from it's own citizens? And where are the civilians who still believe that Hamas is the answer to all their problems? Perhaps they are living in the tunnels? I then ask you, sir, "do you not have any decency" in reporting with honesty?

There is a lot to unpack here, but I feel compelled to do some unpacking. So, to clarify the facts at hand and stop the preventable murder of a single more person, I take this moment to thoroughly debunk the misinformation plaguing the Israel/Gaza dialogue. I break down the critic’s email into her four main objections, and debunk each one by one—with plenty of receipts. Let’s Address This.

CLAIM 1: Interesting idea but when will you mention that it was Hamas that began the conflict by attacking and killing over 1200 civilians?  Do you consider this a war crime? 

On October 7 I publicly condemned Hamas' attacks on Israeli civilians as an act of terrorism. I wrote:

I stand by what I've long said. Attacks on civilians are never justified. Hamas terrorist attacks, which have killed 200 Israeli civilians, are condemnable, inexcusable, and horrific. My deepest condolences to the loved ones of those lost.

Today we know those attacks killed 1200 people, but in the early hours after the attack I made my position clear, that such attacks against civilians are never justified. Likewise just two days later on October 9 I reaffirmed that Hamas’ attack is a war crime when I wrote:

Our standard is international human rights law, which holds that Hamas' war crimes are illegal, and Israel responding to war crimes with more war crimes is also illegal.

But the main crux of the critic’s claim was that “it was Hamas that began the conflict.” This is, of course, proven patently false with a cursory look at history. Israel’s illegal military occupation of Palestinian territories began in June 1967, while Hamas was not founded until 1987. Hamas is, by definition, a reaction to 20 years of Israel’s illegal and violent military occupation. Moreover, to allege this violence began on 10/7 is to also ignore the nearly 700,00 illegal settlements Israel has built on Palestinian land in the decades prior. Indeed, Israel yet continues to announce thousands of new illegal settlements.

Moreover, just in the year prior to 10/7, the Israeli military killed more than 250 Palestinian civilians, and detained thousands more in indefinite detention without charge, trial, due process, or access to counsel. This includes up to 1000 children, according to B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization. In my view, none of this justifies 10/7, it does make clear that 10/7 was not the start of this violence.

And finally, new reports indicate that Israeli intelligence knew the details of Hamas’ attack well in advance, including when, where, and how many hostages they’d take—and did nothing to stop the attack. And now, the Israeli Supreme Court is preventing publication of the investigation to figure out why the Israeli government refused to stop the attack. Where is the accountability and transparency from the ‘only’ Democracy in the Middle East?

CLAIM 2: Do you mention that Hamas has been responsible for continuing the conflict by still holding innocent civilians as hostages? 

I find this claim remarkable for two reasons.

First, because Netanyahu is on record as recently as June 23 confirming that he will not abide by the UN Security Council resolution that his own war cabinet agreed to, that mandates release of all hostages and complete ceasefire. He’s the blockade to the hostage release, and he admits this without hesitation.

Next, because the people claiming they care about hostages tend to ignore the pleas of the families of the hostages themselves. I share the words of the former spokesperson for the families of hostages, Haim Rubinstein. In a Times of Israel interview, Rubinstein lamented that the Israeli government “absolutely ignored” them, and after an October 26 meeting with Netanyahu he felt particularly disappointed because the return of hostages was not the Israeli government’s priority:

We left the meeting very disappointed because Netanyahu talked about dismantling Hamas as the goal of the war. He didn’t promise anything regarding the demand to return the hostages. He merely said a military operation in Gaza was needed to serve as leverage for the hostages’ release. We later found out that Hamas had offered on October 9 or 10 to release all the civilian hostages in exchange for the IDF not entering the Strip, but the government rejected the offer.

Moreover, on May 6 Hamas said it accepted a ceasefire proposal that included release of all hostages. Israel rejected it. Again on June 11 Hamas accepted the binding UN Security Council resolution on ceasefire and release of all hostages, as AP reports:

Hamas accepts a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution and is ready to negotiate over the details, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Tuesday, adding that it was up to Washington to ensure that Israel abides by it. Hamas accepts the UN security council resolution in regard to the ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops and swap of hostages for detainees held by Israel, he said.

And despite the United States insisting that Israel has accepted this resolution (that Israel itself proposed), Israel has to date loudly rejected the binding UN Security Council resolution. The Times of Israel reports:

Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan informed his US counterpart Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Thursday that Jerusalem opposes the Security Council resolution being advanced by Washington that expresses support for the hostage-ceasefire proposal Israel made last week.

In fact, Netanyahu has furthermore defiantly and shamelessly released a public video condemning President Biden for not sending even more missiles and arms to “finish the job” of bombing Gaza. It is no wonder that the families of the hostages continue to put the blame squarely on Benjamin Netanyahu’s shoulders for failing to secure hostage release, stating:

In a press statement, the families accused Netanyahu of obstructing potential deals by rejecting offers for hostage releases and adopting a hardened stance in talks with Hamas. They criticized the prime minister for making unilateral decisions without consulting the cabinet and accused him of prioritizing his personal interests over the welfare of the hostages.

Why is the outrage from “release the hostages” crowd exclusively aimed at Hamas who has agreed to the UNSC resolution to release the hostages, but not at Israel’s incessant refusal to accept a deal that releases all hostages?

CLAIM 3: I might also ask about Hamas stealing the food and medical supplies supplied by Israel from its own citizens? 

I doubt the critic knows this but international human rights law mandates an occupying military ensure the civilians it occupies have complete and unhindered access to all necessities of living, including food, water, and medication. Instead, as documented by a host of international human rights organizations, Israel is itself illegally blocking aid to the Palestinians it occupies. For example, OxFam reports:

Israeli authorities have rejected a warehouse full of international aid including oxygen, incubators and Oxfam water and sanitation gear all of which is now stockpiled at Al Arish just 25 miles away from the border of 2.3 million desperate Palestinians in Gaza. The reasons for rejection are not clear, says Oxfam. In a new report today, Oxfam said this rejected aid was just one example of an overall humanitarian response that Israel has made so dangerous and dysfunctional as to be impossible for aid agencies to work at the speed and scale necessary to save lives, despite best efforts. [Israel] is failing in its legal responsibilities to the people whose land it occupies and breaking one of the key provisions demanded by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – to boost humanitarian aid in light of the risk of genocide in Gaza.

And while there are isolated reports of Hamas blocking aid, the truth is Israel has provided no actual evidence of any systemic blocks by Hamas—a fact attested to by on the ground NGOs as well as the United States government. The Guardian reports:

Those blocking the vehicles say the aid they carry is being diverted by Hamas instead of being delivered to civilians in need, a claim relief agencies reject. US officials have also said that Israel has offered no evidence to support allegations that Hamas is diverting aid.

On the contrary, the Guardian reports that the Israeli military itself is working subversively to tip off extremist Israeli settlers to block and destroy the aid.

…Israel’s security forces are tipping off far-right activists and settlers to the location of aid trucks delivering vital supplies to Gaza, enabling the groups to block and vandalise the convoys, according to multiple sources [including] a spokesperson from the main Israeli activist group behind the blockades told the Guardian. The claim of collusion by members of the security forces is supported by messages from internal internet chat groups reviewed by the Guardian as well as accounts from a number of witnesses and human rights activists.

Moreover, extremist Israeli settlers are stopping truck drivers and beating them on the mere allegation that they are delivering aid to Gaza. Yet, no condemnation of the Israeli military and settlers blocking aid, all while Palestinians in Gaza suffer a literal famine.

CLAIM 4: And where are the civilians who still believe that Hamas is the answer to all their problems? Perhaps they are living in the tunnels? I then ask you, sir, "do you not have any decency" in reporting with honesty?

First, as the above receipts show, the critic appears not terribly worried about ‘honest reporting,’ given every claim she made is absolutely wrong. But moreover, if such critics actually cared about honest reporting, they’d condemn the fact that the Netanyahu regime has killed more than 100 journalists during its indiscriminate bombing of Gaza. The Committee to Protect Journalists (“CPJ”) reports that as of June 19, Israel has committed the following crimes:

1. 108 journalists and media workers were confirmed killed: 103 Palestinian, two Israeli, and three Lebanese.

2. 32 journalists were reported injured.

3. 2 journalists were reported missing.

4. 46 journalists were reported arrested.

5. Multiple assaults, threats, cyberattacks, censorship, and killings of family members.

The CPJ adds “preliminary investigations showed at least 108 journalists and media workers were among the more than 38,000 killed since the war began, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.”

If critics actually cared about honest reporting, they’d condemn the fact that in addition to killing more than 100 journalists, Israel has banned Al Jazeera, seized AP equipment, and has banned all western journalists altogether from reporting on Gaza. As MSNBC reports:

The Israeli Supreme Court in January upheld a ban on journalists entering Gaza that was imposed after the Hamas attack, the Times of Israel reported; the few foreign journalists allowed in have been under military escort and subject to censorship. Israel’s choice raises “questions about what Israel does not want international journalists to see,” the Foreign Press Association said in a press release Monday. That same day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Israel’s refusal to allow international journalists into Gaza has created an “information war” that’s added trauma to the already harrowing situation in the region. “Denying international journalists entry in to Gaza is allowing disinformation and false narratives to flourish,” he said. The White House co-signed that sentiment.

By censoring, banning, and killing journalists in Gaza, the Israeli government itself rejects and prevents honest reporting. The ‘most moral Army in the world’ should have nothing to hide if they are aligned with international human rights law.

Yet, here we are.

The critic’s dismissive snark about “civilians who believe Hamas is the answer to the problems, and are living in tunnels” revives another Israeli claim that Hamas allegedly has a vast underground tunnel network running through hospitals—hence justifying bombing those hospitals. In reality, every investigation to date has found zero alleged vast Hamas bases in tunnels under hospitals.

IN CLOSING

Take note that none of what the critic wrote even remotely justifies the ongoing war crimes Israel is committing on Gaza and on Palestinians, nor does she refute the need to stop funding these war crimes. She dismisses my entire argument to divest from war crimes with “interesting idea.” It isn’t interesting, it is incumbent to divest from war crimes, because it is just and moral to stand on the right side of history.

So whether it is the incessant calls to condemn Hamas despite repeated condemnations, the fallacious claim that Hamas, not Israel, is refusing to release hostages, the meritless claim that Hamas is blocking aid when in reality it is Israel who is blocking aid, or the allegation of a lack of honest reporting, when it is Israel that is blocking and killing journalists—I hope this article helped set the record straight. The receipts referenced above are verified from authentic and well reputed outlets. The path forward must be built on justice and humanity, for the sake of safety and security for both Palestinian and Israeli civilians.

Let us divest from war crimes, end this siege on Gaza, and restore humanity. That would be the decent thing to do—even critics would agree.