Israel needs to stop killing civilians immediately

Israel has fallen into Hamas’ trap.

The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has waged a brutal war in response to the group’s savage Oct. 7 terror attacks. While Hamas senior leadership has been targeted, Palestinian civilians have borne the brunt of the pain, turning international opinion against Israel and shifting the moral calculus of the conflict — as Hamas intended.

Israel must wake up to the suffering it is inflicting on innocent people and the damage it is doing to its image and reputation. Its government must become much more careful about how it wages this war while defending its national security and very right to existence. A better balance of interests is hard, but it is not impossible; the Israeli government has few more important obligations.

The Israeli government has been determined to eliminate Hamas after its militants launched terror attacks last October that killed 1,200 people, many of them civilians, and the taking of 253 hostages. In response, the Israeli military has laid waste to Gaza, killing more than 32,000 Palestinians, a majority of them women and children.

The scale of the assault has practically leveled the territory, creating a humanitarian disaster as social systems have collapsed. About two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been uprooted by the conflict with dozens of children reportedly dying of malnutrition and starvation. While statistics are suspect, the overall situation is undeniable: Extraordinary hardship has been forced onto the civilian population in Gaza.

Israel’s response has also exacted a terrible cost among aid workers who have tried to ease that pain. The United Nations has estimated that about 200 humanitarian aid workers — mostly Palestinians — have been killed during the war, a number that is nearly three times the death toll of any conflict in a year. Another database puts the death toll even higher.

In a recent tragedy that made global headlines, and which some are calling an atrocity, Israeli forces killed seven workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK), an organization established by chef Jose Andres in 2010 after the Haiti earthquake that provides relief and assistance to communities in need around the world. Last month, WCK began delivering aid to Gaza residents; as it did so, it coordinated with the Israeli government and military as well as Arab governments to ensure the success of those efforts and the safety of its workers.

Last week, a convoy of three cars carrying WKC workers was struck by Israeli missiles, killing the seven. Those who are calling it an atrocity say it was no accident. An operation of this complexity reportedly required several drones along with two to three dozen operators and support staff.

Andres said the Israel Defense Forces were aware of the convoy’s whereabouts, its purpose and the occupants of the vehicles — and accused the military of deliberately targeting them, “systematically, car by car ... knowing that it was our teams on that road.” He explained that the attack occurred “over 1.5, 1.8 kilometers, with a very defined humanitarian convoy that had signs in the top, in the roof, a very colorful logo.” It was “very clear who we are and what we do.”

Denunciations followed. Japan’s foreign minister, Yoko Kamikawa, said that her government is “deeply concerned” by the attack, requested a proper investigation and the introduction of measures to ensure that it does not happen again.

U.S. President Joe Biden declared that he was “outraged and heartbroke,” demanded an investigation that “must be swift, it must bring accountability and its findings must be made public.” He said that this was “not a stand-alone incident” and added that “Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians.”

That harsh rebuke from the country’s closest supporter seems to have shaken the Israeli leadership. Gen. Herzi Halevi accepted IDF responsibility for the incident, blaming misidentification of the convey and called the attack “a grave mistake.” He promised a thorough investigation, adding that “We will learn from the conclusions and implement them immediately.”

Outside observers are skeptical. They point to previous incidents and the resulting investigations, which failed to hold anyone accountable. Moreover, for all the U.S. anger and frustration, Washington has not been willing to distance itself from or punish Israel. Biden’s message was also likely undercut when one of his press spokespersons admitted that the U.S. would not conduct its own investigation and would rely on that done by Israel.

Criticism of that position and growing antagonism between the leadership of the two countries, prompted Biden this week to call Netanyahu and warn him that hitherto U.S. unconditional support was imperiled in the absence of the announcement and implementation of a “series of specific, concrete and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers.”

Israel should not need U.S. pressure to figure out what it should do in this case or how to conduct the war. Indiscriminate attacks are both morally indefensible and violations of the laws of war. The deteriorating situation in Gaza hardens the residents in the city, ensuring that yet another generation of Palestinians will see Israel as an implacable enemy rather than a potential partner.

That is exactly what Hamas wants. The group traffics in outrage and one of its primary objectives has been to goad Israeli into indiscriminate attacks and make its response to the Oct. 7 atrocities the issue, rather than those terror attacks themselves. Hamas' deputy political bureau chief, Saleh al-Arouri, declared in August 2023 that the group seeks “total war” with Israel, while Ghazi Hamad, another member of the group’s political bureau, promised days after the assault to repeat the Oct. 7 attack “time and time again until Israel is annihilated.”

Hamas’ leaders speak approvingly of “sacrificing martyrs,” and their strategy of using human shields makes such casualties unavoidable. The decision of many aid groups to suspend aid in the aftermath of the attack is yet more evidence that the Hamas strategy is working.

Anger in Israel is understandable. But Israel’s government and its people must understand that its conduct of the war is imperiling its greater objective: creating the conditions for an enduring peace. Israel has responded to Hamas’ savagery with brutality of its own, making the country less secure.

The targets of Israeli military action must be the zealots and butchers in Hamas that have no interest in peace and seek only to destroy the state of Israel and rid the region of its citizens. Civilians caught in the crossfire must be protected, as well as the selfless and heroic volunteers working for aid organizations that are trying to ease the suffering of those innocents.

The rest of the world must stand with the victims of these atrocities, demanding accountability from both sides and condemning those who have no respect for innocent lives. This is a test of their humanity and our own.