Israel Defense Forces Not Targeting Civilians

Contributed by Harold Witkov

Israel, lone democracy in the Middle East and true ally to the United States, has been taking a lot of hits lately, and not just rockets. Much of the world has been quick to condemn the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza. They have distorted what is happening, ignoring Hamas missiles fired at Israeli citizens in population centers, yet labeling Israeli attacks on Gaza as massacres, war crimes, and a blatant murder of civilians. The truth is, while Israel wages war on Hamas, it is doing its best not to harm civilians. A little common sense demonstrates this.

For those who like to keep score, after five days of fighting, numerous news agencies have put the January 1st Gaza death toll at 400 (neglecting to say 75% of these are militants). According to a recent AP report, Israeli jet fighters have flown 500 bombing missions, and Israel has launched hundreds of combat sorties by helicopter gun ships and surveillance aircraft. All told, Israel has sent at least 1,000 powerful bombs into Gaza.

According to the above math, it took 1,000 Israeli bombs to kill 400 Palestinians during a five-day period, a rate of two and a half bombs dropped per fatality. Gaza, we know, is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. We also know Israeli bombs are powerful, lethal, accurate, and capable of leveling an entire structure. Given the math, it is safe to say, if the Israeli Defense Forces are targeting civilians, they are doing a lousy job.