Operation Guardian of the Walls is an Israeli military operation that lasted 12 days. Its stated goal is to remove the threat of Hamas missiles from the Gaza Strip against the only democracy of the Middle East – Israel. Since 2001, Palestinian organisations have launched 25,000 rockets and missiles with one objective: Killing as many Israelis as possible. If there are women and children amongst the casualties, even better.
During their operations in the past month, Hamas have launched more than 4,000 missiles which caused the death of 9 Israelis. The casualties included included a six-year-old boy, a Muslim Israeli woman, and three foreign workers, an Indian woman, and two men from Thailand. Our hearts are with their families. During the operation, 357 Israelis were wounded.
Israel carried out about 1500 missions, mainly by the Israeli Air Force. They were clearly intended to subvert the missile attacks, demolish their production, eliminate terrorist headquarters and tunnels, all measures to reduce the death toll of innocent civilians. As a result, 266 people were killed on the Palestinian side, including some children, and about 5,000 were wounded. Some of these casualties were caused by Hamas missiles misfiring or falling short of their “targets”.
Israel’s critics, who lambast it even when it defends itself, are angry. Very angry. They cannot comprehend what they call the “disproportionate response” to Hamas’s missiles. This claim is absurd. Not only because there is no normal country that will not do all it can to protect its citizens when being aimed by so many missiles. It is also absurd because Israel’s response is not disproportionate, it is too lenient. Maybe way too lenient.
Here is the explanation:
First and foremost, we should be reminded that the confrontation between Israel and Hamas is not only between a democratic state and a terror organisation, but it is a struggle between a country that sanctifies life, according to Jewish values, and a terror regime that glorifies death. Israel invests a fortune in medicine, science, improving quality of life.
For example, it has invested billions of dollars in vaccinating for Covid. Hamas, on the contrary, calls for a Jihadi war, has been sending suicide bombers for years, and educates its youth to die for the cause.
Militarily, Israel has invested a fortune developing the Iron Dome system, which eliminates incoming missiles. Without this system, thousands of Israelis would have been killed. Hamas has received bllions of dollars from Arab and Western countries and invested the money in developing missiles intended to kill as many Israelis as possible. In addition, it has built its underground tunnel system for terrorists to penetrate Israel and perform massacres.
It would also be accurate to say that Hamas is using people to protect its weapons. It has put the launchers in public places near innocent people knowing that Israel will hesitate to hit them. We, in Israel, use our weapons to protect our citizens.
Moreover, Israel makes the distinction between the civilian population and terrorists. We attacked 1,500 times in Gaza, and yet the number of casualties is relatively low. We deeply regret the death of innocent people, and many times we avoided hitting Hamas leaders because they embedded themselves too deeply into innocent civilians. Our critics have to understand, though: we cannot give up our security.
The International Court of Justice in the Hague has announced that it will investigate Israel’s actions during the Guardian of the Walls operation. In doing so, the court provides support to Hamas’s terror. It legitimises the killing of innocent Israeli civilians and contradicts its own goals, for which it was founded. It is tragic and ironic indeed. Instead of supporting Israel, it empowers Hamas, and sadly, one day, this terror may turn on the court itself.