Israel claims that civilian casualties are unavoidable during war, particularly when the Hamas uses them as human shields. Hamas has been hidden in tunnels underneath public buildings, which are bombed by the Israelis. They have restricted the delivery of humanitarian supplies because they claim the Hamas is stealing them.

In the International arena, the vote is 2:1 upholding the claim. The International Court of Justice, which hears claims against states, waffles on the claim. The court has issued emergency orders on bringing in more aid.

The UN Commission on Inquiry concluded that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza. They noted the immense civilian toll (44,000 killed, 100,000 wounded) and the systematic destruction of life-sustaining infrastructure such as water and electricity was evidence of genocide.

The International Criminal Court that hears claims against individuals that include crimes against humanity and war crimes. The court issued arrest warrants for the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense for Israel. A warrant also was issued for the Hamas Commander.

The courts considered both the intent and the actions of the Israelis and Hamas. The situation on the ground not only takes into account the thousands of casualties but also that most infrastructure is uninhabitable. The civilian population of 2.3 million has been displace multiple time when Israel ordered them to move to one area or another. And then it ordered them to move again so that all the people were living only in temporary tents.

The other most obvious problem is holding trucks at the borders and preventing them from delivering supplies. This has resulted in near starvation of civilians, including women and children.

Regardless of the legal actions, the Israeli public has demonstrated in the hundreds of thousands against their country’s pursuit of the war. The temporary “cease-fire” has been marked by continuing bombing of Gaza by the Israelis. The Prime Minister has continued the war to avoid prosecution, and recently he even asked for a pardon by Israeli courts.

The Israelis were provoked by an attack on a Kibbutz by the Hamas that killed 1,200 civilians. The response has been far in excess in kind. The irony of this war when contrasted with the Holocaust is striking. Although that resulted in the deaths of millions of Jews, it clearly was intended to remove an entire class/ethnicity of people. Some Israelis appear to be intent on removing all the population of Gaza and the West Bank and not just the Hamas. If the continuing war does not kill them, then Israelis would transport the Palestinians to other countries.

The United States has intervened in the war by including surrounding nations in negotiations but has continued to provide war supplies to Israel. There have been several prior wars, and it appears that this one will not end until both sides have been exhausted.

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