![]() ![]() He estimated that Israel had killed perhaps 5,000 Hamas men (whose deaths, incidentally, should be counted in that 15,000 figure, too often misunderstood to refer solely to civilians). In Israel last week, I spoke with a senior figure on the country’s right who privately confessed his fear that Israel’s offensive had barely degraded Hamas as a fighting force. Even if you believe that almost any death toll in Gaza would be a morally acceptable price to pay for the absolute defeat of Hamas, you would struggle to defend the current Israeli strategy – because few believe it will, in fact, result in the absolute defeat of Hamas. ![]() It argues that responsibility for a death toll estimated to be in excess of 15,000 – in less than two months – rests squarely with a Hamas enemy that deliberately embeds itself in population centres, including in schools and hospitals.īut even on its own logic, that position can quickly run into moral quicksand. ![]() It resents US secretary of state Antony Blinken for insisting on Thursday that, before Israel takes the war to southern Gaza, it must have a “ clear plan in place that puts a premium on protecting civilians”. This view can bridle at any attempt at restraint. Not as revenge, but as prevention – to ensure that Hamas cannot make good on its vow to stage another 7 October, and another and another, until Israel is eradicated. In this view, the horror of the October attacks, the sadism and cruelty of the killing, torture and rape, crossed every moral red line and so Israel can do whatever it takes to defeat those to blame. Start with those who believe that the massacre by Hamas of more than 1,200 Israelis on 7 October gives Israel the moral licence to respond however it sees fit, subject to almost no limitations. In fighting Hamas, Israel faces just such a predicament – and yet there are too many, among both those who defend Israel and those who denounce it, who refuse to see that. Instead, the war between Israel and Hamas is back on, presenting once more what moral philosophers refer to as a “ tragic choice” – a dilemma where there are no good options, only two different routes to disaster. After a week of joy and relief for those Israeli families reunited with loved ones held hostage by Hamas, and of respite from Israeli bombardment for the people of Gaza, seven days of rolling ceasefires came to an end this morning. And on the eighth day, the war began anew. ![]()
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