The numbers gathered by B'Tselem are much more comprehensive then that of the IDF's, the result is that the numbers presented by the IDF are significantly lower then that of B'Tselem. “According to B'Tselem, 1,387 Palestinians were killed during the three weeks of Operation Cast Lead, of whom 773 were noncombatants and only 330 were combatants. The IDF, in contrast, claims that 1,166 Palestinians were killed during Cast Lead, of whom 709 were Hamas combatants and 295 were civilians.” B’Tselem says their information is legitimate and accurate, garnering their information from eyewitness sources, death certificates, in-house IDF investigations, and lists prepared by Palestinian human rights organizations.
The article itself is very credible and non-biased; it simply reports the facts of the B’Tselem report. The report, however, could very well be misleading, inaccurate and wrong. B’Tselem didn’t count armed Hamas police officers as combatants, but as civilians, and the some of the methods they use could be very subjective. Eyewitness reports without evidence are hardly 100% accurate, and the numbers gathered by Palestinian human rights organizations could very well be inaccurate as well. Regardless of which number is more correct than the other, 1,406 lives lost is 1,406 lives too many. Even though Israel tries very adamantly to avoid the deaths of the innocent, Hamas makes it practically impossible to avoid civilian casualties. Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice states "Hamas participates in activities like human shields and using buildings that are not designated as military buildings to hide their fighters," she told reporters. "So it's hard." Hamas also sets up military bases near schools and other densely populated areas to increase the number of casualties. Hamas also base themselves in civilian homes, set up their bases near schools and hospitals, use Mosques to hide their guns and ammunition, and make sure to fight in areas teeming most with innocent civilians. Their intent? To skew the numbers in order to receive sympathy and squander Israel’s credibility.
The civilians in Gaza live in a very precarious position. I do not believe that this Operation was the cause of this humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but it really highlights examples of how the helpless civilians of Palestine are used as political pawns by the Arab Nations. The unemployment rate in Gaza is between 60-80%. Food, basic supplies and medicine are all expensive, rare or non-existent. This attack was another blow to their crumbling and non-functional infrastructure. In 2007, when Hamas won the majority seats in the Palestinian Parliamentary elections, ousting Fattah, a bitter and bloody rift between the two groups ensued. As a result, the members of Hamas who served on the Palestinian National Authority in the West Bank were kicked out, leaving the Fattah in control of the West Bank, and Hamas in control of Gaza. Many people give grief and lay blame with the citizens’ of Gaza because it was they who elected Hamas to power, however, you cannot expect a people on the brink of desperation living in such a destitute state to understand or thoroughly contemplate the political implications of electing Hamas to power. Correct, Hamas stands on a platform of irrational and persistent violence towards the Israeli's, but I highly doubt that any Palestinian civilians’ mind are bombarded by those thoughts when they don’t even live with the certainty of a promised tomorrow.
After the election and the Battle of Gaza (which caused extensive damage in Gaza and many deaths), Mohammed Abbas, leader of the Fattah, outlawed the Hamas Militia. At that point both Israel and Egypt sealed their borders into Palestine, literally trapping the people within it. From that point until the start of the Operation, Hamas retaliated by sending countless mortar shells into the southern towns of Israel. In late December 2008, when the rocket fire became too persistent and dangerous to ignore any longer, the IDF threatened action against Gaza. Those threats were not heeded, and in thinking for the best interest of their civilian’s freedom, Israel attacked. First by air, and when Hamas still refused to cooperate, they sent combatants in by foot. Israel tried many times to negotiate a cease-fire with Hamas, but they refused. Before the offensive, Israel sent out messages on Arab radios stating that they will invade, and also dropped leaflets on civilian homes warning them that if there house is used as a base to fight, they will be targeted. Also, during the fighting, Israel proposed a three-hour cease-fire every night to allow in humanitarian supplies. Even during these cease-fires, Hamas would not cease firing missiles. Conversely, Hamas sent out text messages in Hebrew to Israeli civilians warning them "Rockets on all cities, shelters will not protect you," and threatening Israeli Soldiers by setting up booby traps and broadcasting messages with their intent to kidnap soldiers.
Estimates claim that Gaza lost nearly $2 billion in assets, including 4,000 homes, destroyed 600–700 factories, small industries, and business enterprises, 24 mosques, 31 security compounds, 10 water or sewage lines, and 34 health facilities. Over 50,000 people in Gaza became homeless as a result. Hamas garners a lot of negative attention for their destructive behavior, but never is the focus and emphasis on the reconstruction of Gaza on its civilians. The quality of life in Gaza is extremely poor; 80% of the citizens rely on humanitarian aide to survive. The people of Gaza rarely get support from the other Arab Nations, those nations only use Gaza as a provocation of Israel and use them as a way to fulfill their agenda of destroying Israel and the lives within it. Israel sees a lot of the blame for the humanitarian crisis because they seal the borders, however no one is giving the same kind of attention to the blockade Egypt has imposed a well.
I did not choose this article to lay blame on any one person or country. I wrote about it to make a collective call to all the nations of the world to help those in need. It is extremely disparaging to see a group of people who are in such need, and at the same time ignored by the whole world; even those who claim to be on their side. I think it is an extremely important issue, I don't think anybody should suffer that way. Unfortunately, at the same time that the Palestinians are struggling, a lot of hate and racism is pointed towards them. Attention should be paid to everyone around the world who do not have basic necessities like food and water, and those who have bleak futures. Hopefully by reading this I can encourage you to be more aware, to give back, or volunteer your time and efforts to those who need it. The World really needs more people who care about it.
