Charles Abelsohn: Letter from Israel – Rosh Hashana 5785
Israel and Gaza – Your Questions Answered
Rosh Hashana 5785 26 September 2024
Shalom from Israel,
Last year, I commenced my New Year Letter as follows: “Unless you live on the other side of the moon, for Israel, this past year has been, shall we say, tumultuous.”
Who would have guessed in their wildest nightmares that last year`s tumultuous judicial reform (anybody remember?) has been replaced by a catastrophic war, initiated by a jihadist group, Hamas, when on 7 October 2023, on Shabbat and Simchat Torah, Hamas attacked 22 Communities in the south of Israel. Israelis, Jews, Arabs, and Bedouins, together with other happy revelers from over 20 nationalities at a music festival in the south of Israel as well as farm employees from Thailand, were all raped, murdered, mutilated, and taken hostage by Hamas and other Palestinian groups.
On 7 October 2023, about 1,200 people were killed and 252 kidnapped. It is estimated that Hamas continues to hold 101 people and bodies, with about 50 people thought to be still alive.
In conducting a war primarily intended to rescue the hostages, Israel has been accused of war crimes, causing famine and “genocide”. To add to the horror, on October 8th, Hezbollah, a Shiite Jihadi organization, armed and financed by Iran, started firing rockets from Southern Lebanon into Northern Israel. I won`t relate further in this Letter to Hezbollah other than to mention that to date Hezbollah has fired over 10,000 rockets into Northern Israel, over 60,000 Israelis have left their homes, businesses, and farms and thousands of buildings have been damaged.
In this Letter, I will ask, and do my best to answer, questions relating to Hamas, the war and the accusations that many of you may be asking but without reply or with a distorted version, from your local media and from social media.
We pray that this coming year will see the rescue of the 101 hostages still held by Hamas and the end of hostilities, and we wish all our readers that this coming year will be a year of good health, celebrations, pleasure from your family, and peace. We wish our Jewish readers and all your families a שנה טובה ומתוקה, שנת שלום והצלחה; a shana tova umetuka, shnat shalom vehatzlacha, a happy, healthy, successful and peaceful new year and a meaningful fast.
With Rosh Hashana/New Year Greetings from Israel,
Charles and Vivienne Abelsohn
First Question: The UN and other NGOs such as Human Rights Watch always refer to Gaza as “occupied Palestinian Territory”. Does Israel really occupy Gaza?
In 2005 Israel withdrew from Gaza, lock, stock, and barrel. I need to emphasize that since 2005, there have been no Israelis, military or civilian, in Gaza. There are no soldiers. Not even one. There is NO Israeli administration or control. There is NO apartheid, best illustrated by stating that there are no separate toilets, schools or restaurants. In any event, how you can impose “apartheid” when there are no Israelis present is beyond me. The facts tell the story: There is NO occupation. The boundaries of Gaza are those of the June 1967 lines, exactly as demanded by the international community. There are more Turkish soldiers in Occupied Northern Cyprus than the number of Israeli soldiers in Gaza, which is zero.
Without going into details, until 6 October 2023, Israel assisted Gaza in many fields, particularly medical.
Second Question: The U.N. Secretary-General claimed that the Oct. 7 Hamas surprise attacks on Israel “did not happen in a vacuum”. Have the Palestinian people really been subjected to 56 years of a “suffocating occupation?”
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres claimed that the October 7 Hamas surprise attacks on Israel “did not happen in a vacuum” during a U.N. Security Council meeting in New York. He added: “The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation.”
Oppression? Suffocating Occupation? Well, if, as I showed above, you are not present, you can`t oppress, and if you are not occupying, you cannot impose a “suffocating occupation”. On the contrary, Israel assisted Gaza in several fields, particularly medical.
If there are those who still insist Israel is “oppressing” the Gazans and had imposed a “suffocating occupation”, let`s use, infant mortality and children under 5 underweight as the yardsticks to judge the results of Israel`s oppression and “suffocating occupation”. I compare Gaza with South Africa which accused Israel of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, with Egypt as the biggest Arab country and with India representing the third world.
Gaza Strip average life-span 2024: 75.5 years Ranking: 126
Egypt average life-span 2024: 75 years Ranking: 132
South Africa average life-span 2024: 71.9 years Ranking: 166
India average life-span 2024: 68.2 years Ranking: 190
Ranking is best (Monaco No 1) to worst (Afghanistan No 227).
Gaza Strip infant mortality 2024: 15.1 per 1000 live births.
Ranking: 91
Egypt infant mortality 2024: 16.8 per 1000 live births.
Ranking: 88
South Africa infant mortality 2024: 21.9 per 1000 live births.
Ranking: 71
India infant mortality 2024: 30.4 per 1000 live births.
Ranking: 49
(Ranking is worst (Afghanistan No 1) to best Slovenia (No 227)
Children under 5 under weight
Gaza Strip: 2.1% Ranking 102
Egypt: 7.1% Ranking: 66
South Africa: 5.5% Ranking: 71
India: 31.5% Ranking: 5
Ranking is Worst (Yemen No 1) to Best (Estonia No 126)
The information is from the CIA Factbook and is estimated in August 2024.
In each category, the Gaza Strip ranks comfortably about halfway as compared to about 227 other countries and is superior in all yardsticks to Egypt, South Africa and India and also to about another 100 countries. If Israel really was occupying Gaza, which it is not, then such occupation would certainly not be determined to be “suffocating”. The Secretary General of the UN needs to clarify his determination of Gaza as being subjected to a “suffocating occupation”. It seems that there is no limit to his insulting comments and anti-Israel stance of the UN as represented by its Secretary-General.
Third Question: Why did I refer to Hamas as jihadists rather than terrorists?
Well, actually, it is essential to understand Hamas as they see themselves, not as we see Hamas. Hamas has made it easy to understand exactly who they are, but few, if any, are paying attention. Their ideology and aims are set out in Hamas`s 1988 Covenant. Hamas sees itself as performing not terrorism but jihad. Jihad is a religious concept. We, in Israel and in the West, have no right to tell Hamas that they are not who they claim to be.
Fourth Question: What is set out in Hamas`s 1988 Covenant?
The relevant articles of The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement`s (Hamas) 1988 Covenant are self-explanatory, clear, straight forward and unambiguous. There is no need for commentary. These articles evidence exactly the reasons for Hamas`s violence and barbarism.
Despite the absence of any Israeli administration, control, occupation or presence in Gaza, Hamas`s aim as set out in Hamas`s Covenant, is the destruction of Israel as demanded by Islam. This fact makes nonsense of the suggestion that the conflict between Hamas and Israel is territorial or due to “suffocating occupation”, “apartheid”, “oppression” or the like. Israel cannot impose “apartheid” or “oppression” by remote control i nor can Israel “occupy” by remote control.
The full text of Hamas`s Covenant will be found: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp
Several Articles are set out below.
Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it. (The Martyr, Imam Hassan al-Banna, of blessed memory).
Introduction
This Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS), clarifies its picture, reveals its identity, outlines its stand, explains its aims, speaks about its hopes, and calls for its support, adoption and joining its ranks. Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious.
Article Six (partial): The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinguished Palestinian movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam. It strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.
Article Seven (partial):
The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the links in the chain of the struggle against the Zionist invaders. It goes back to 1939, to the emergence of the martyr Izz al-Din al Kissam and his brethren the fighters, and members of the Muslim Brotherhood. It goes on to reach out and become one with another chain that includes the struggle of the Palestinians and Moslem Brotherhood in the 1948 war and the Jihad operations of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1968 and after.
The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews) when the Jews will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.
Article Eleven (partial):
The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up.
This is the law governing the land of Palestine in the Islamic Sharia (law) and the same goes for any land the Moslems have conquered by force, because during the times of (Islamic) conquests, the Moslems consecrated these lands to Moslem generations till the Day of Judgement.
Article Thirteen (partial):
Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions, and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement. Abusing any part of Palestine is abuse directed against part of religion.
There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors. The Palestinian people know better than to consent to having their future, rights and fate toyed with.
Article Fifteen:
The day that enemies usurp part of Moslem land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem. In the face of the Jews’ usurpation of Palestine, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised.
It is necessary to instill the spirit of Jihad in the heart of the nation so that they would confront the enemies and join the ranks of the fighters.
It is necessary to instill in the minds of the Moslem generations that the Palestinian problem is a religious problem, and should be dealt with on this basis.
My very short comment on the above: Hamas sees the conflict as religious, not territorial and the solution is through Jihad. For Hamas, there is no two-state solution.
Fifth Question: Please state very clearly what is the aim of Jihad.
The aim of Jihad is to destroy Israel as a religious duty by way of a holy war. Jihad does not concern borders, refugees, prisoners, settlements, checkpoints or two state solutions.
Jihad is the violence or holy war needed to eliminate Israel’s continued existence in the Middle East. By the way, Spain (Andalusia) and Europe from Turkey until Vienna are also on the Jihad list since they were once an Islamic Waqf. Al-Andalus is an Arabic word for Southern Spain, held by the Muslims 711 – 1492.
Regardless of how the current fighting between Israel and Iran’s proxies in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon turns out, it is crucial to remember that Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad do not recognize Israel’s right to exist and regard its presence in the Middle East as a threat to all Muslims and Arabs.
Since these Islamist groups view the conflict as a religious war, any ceasefire or hudna (truce) will only serve as a reprieve or a moment of rest before they resume the jihad to destroy Israel.
Reminder: On 6th October 2023, there was a ceasefire in effect between Israel and Hamas.
Sixth Question: Are you telling me that Hamas on its own is performing Jihad?
The Muslim world is divided into two main sects, Shiite and Sunni. The leading Shiite power is Iran. Unusually for the Arab world, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, which are Sunni, have linked up with Iran. Other Shiite proxies of Iran are Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, the Houthi, based in Yemen and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI). These entities are financed, trained, armed and supported in every way by Iran. They contend that Israel has no right to exist on what in history was Muslim-owned territory (Waqf) and that it is the responsibility of all Muslims to carry the banner of jihad in the world toward the objective of wiping out Israel.
Hamas is not on its own. Hezbollah is firing rockets daily at northern Israel. The Houthis from Yemen and the IRI from Iraq are firing missiles at Israel. Iran is sending weapons and munitions to Hamas supporters in Areas A and B. In their eyes, this is a religious war between Muslims and non-Muslims who have “usurped” Muslim-owned territory. Iran and its many proxies do not regard jihadi violence as terrorism but their right, and religious duty, to recover Waqf. For Muslims, jihadi violence is for victory or martyrdom. For Muslims, Jihad is NOT terrorism.
Seventh Question: Why do Muslims shout “Remember Khaybar” at anti-Israel protests?
Khaybar was a peaceful Jewish stronghold in the Arabian desert. In the year 628 C.E., a few years after the prophet Mohammed’s migration from Mecca to Medina, Khaybar fell into the hands of his army. (Diversion: The second sacred city of Islam, Medina, was originally a rich and flourishing Jewish town, Yathrib. Yathrib was conquered in about 625 CE by Mohammed and renamed Medina. The Jewish men were killed and the women were taken as slaves. Today, Jews are banned from entering Medina). The battle of Khaybar resulted in the subjugation, mass expulsion and slaughter of the area’s Jewish communities, similar to Hamas`s attack on the Jewish communities of Southern Israel on 7 October 2023. The shout about Khaybar represents a 1,400-year-old anti-Jewish jihadi religious crusade. Muslims who seek the destruction of Israel chant, “Khaybar, Khaybar, ya yahud! Jaish Mohammed soufa ya’oud!” (“Khaybar, Khaybar, Oh Jews! The army of Mohammed will return!”). The battle cry is a warning to Jews that they will meet the same fate as the Jews of Khaybar, which is exactly what happened on October 7th, 2023. In 628 CE in Khaybar, there was no ”occupation”, no “oppression” and no “Israel”. There were no “settlements”, no Israeli demands for “a Jewish state in the middle of the Arabian desert”. Their absence did not prevent the murder, rape, mutilation and hostage-taking of Jews in 628 CE, exactly the same as occurred on October 7th, 2023.
By calling its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” Hamas is seeking to remind everyone that the conflict against Israel is a religious one, a jihad, and an existential one but not a territorial one nor a demand for a sovereign entity in Gaza.
Eighth Question: If Hamas is not seeking territory to establish a sovereign entity, then what is Hamas`s aim?
The answer is found in Article Two of its covenant. Hamas is one of the wings of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Moslem Brotherhood`s aim is the establishment of a state ruled by sharia (religious) law under a caliphate. Sharia governs all aspects of life, culture, creed, politics, economics, education, society, justice and judgment, the spreading of Islam, education, and conversion to Islam. Caliphate means an Islamic government where the head of state, the caliph, is the leader of the entire Muslim world.
Ninth Question: I read in all the media that to date over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed. What is the source of this figure?
The figure is published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination Affairs – OCHA. OCHA issues a Humanitarian Situation Update for the Gaza Strip almost daily. Their most recent Update dated 16 September 2024 stated: “Between 7 October 2023 and 16 September 2024, at least 41,226 Palestinians were killed according to MoH in Gaza”.
The numbers are based on the MoH, which is the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza – which is Hamas. In short, the UN receives and publishes the number of fatalities as received from Hamas. The updates do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The UN does not publish the number of combatant fatalities as stated from time to time by Israel. Most media and social media regard the Hamas`s number as applying to civilians only. Incidentally, Hamas has never been mentioned by OCHA in even one of its 218 Updates to date. OCHA`s only reference is to “Palestinian armed groups”. The name Hamas is only mentioned in an Update when stated by a third party, never by OCHA.
Let me assist OCHA and Hamas. Israel claims over 17,000 Hamas and other Palestinian combatants have been killed by the IDF.
Hamas almost never documents the full identification details of casualties. Unusually, Hamas, through OCHPA, provided details on or about 3 April 2024 and, again, on 16 September 2024.
Please note carefully the number of women and children the UN/Hamas claimed to have been killed by Israel on 3rd April 2024 and then on 16 September 2024.
3 April 2024 details, which I could copy and paste (see below for the original):
Total Palestinian Fatalities: 32,975
At least 9,000 women. At least 13,000 children.
Not including more than 7,000 (or 20%) reported missing or under the rubble. This 20% increase in the number of fatalities appears to be a number intended simply to increase the number of fatalities for the media and politicians. In other words: about 40,000 Gazan fatalities up to 3 April 2024 for publication but only about 33,000 in reality (assuming this number to be correct).
Here is the original source as provided by the MoH:
Now let`s look at figures provided by OCHPA in update 218 up to 14 September 2024. Their presentation has changed and unfortunately the possibility to copy and paste OCHPA`s September`s figures is not available. The numbers are provided in two separate tables: Reported Casualties and a Breakdown.
Palestinian Fatalities MOH Gaza (information is provided to the United Nations by the Ministry of Health, Gaza otherwise known as Hamas!) (Cumulative) as of 14 September, 2014
REPORTED CASUALTIES (Cumulative) as of 14 September 2024
Gaza fatalities: 41,206
Unknown: 6,862 Elderly: 2,955 Children: 11,355
Men: 13,737 Women: 6,297
Breakdown:
Unknown: 6,682 Female: 12,370 Male: 21,974
Did you notice that since 3 April 2024, about 3,000 women and 2,000 children mysteriously came back to life?
Can anyone really believe the numbers provided by the MOH – Hamas?
Did you notice that twice as many men were killed than women? This is conclusive evidence that Israel`s attacks are not random but targeted.
As for the mysterious 6,682 allegedly missing persons, now INCLUDED in the total of fatalities: (a) if 6,682 missing are omitted from calculations, it appears that 34,344 (41,206-6,682) Palestinians have been killed by Israel and not 41,206; and (b) almost no Palestinians were killed in the five months since 3 April 2024!
Did you notice that total fatalities are provided for Females and Males since these numbers include children, but, again mysteriously, not for male or female children? The explanation is simple. Many male youths aged between 13 and 17 are in fact, combatants. It is actually easy to calculate the “excess” male youth fatalities.
Total Female Fatalities: 12,370 Male: 21,974
Less 50% of 2,955 elderly: 1,478 1,478
Total Female Fatalities: 10,862 Male: 20,496
Women Fatalities: 6,297 Men: 13,737
Female child fatalities: 4,565 Male child: 6,759
Total children: 11,324
If the attacks resulting in child deaths were random, then female and male children should have been equal. But there is an “excess” (6759-4565) of 2,194 male children. These are no longer “children” killed randomly but combatants killed while fighting.
Israel claims about 17,000 Hamas and other jihadist groups (terrorists) have been killed. Assuming most of the men killed were combatants, together with the child combatants, the figures provided by OCHPA substantiate Israel`s claim of about 17,000 Palestinian combatants killed.
I will continue to be conservative and assume that the number of 41,206 fatalities is correct. The number of civilians killed is therefore about 24,000. This number includes Gazan deaths from about 1,500 to 2,000 rockets which fell back into Gaza resulting in about 2,000 Gazan deaths. For one incident alone, following a rocket fired by the Islamic Jihad group which fell in the parking area of the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza in October 2023, OCHA increased the number of civilian fatalities attributed to Israel by 471. Also, Hamas in the past included natural death figures in the number of civilian fatalities provided to OCHPA. In the past, these numbers have always included natural deaths, about 700 monthly or about 7,000 to date.
It is likely that the number of civilian Gazan deaths attributed to Israel is only about 15,000 (24,000 less 2,000 less 7,000) but will only be known at a much later date. For my next question, I will continue to be conservative and use the figure of 24,000 Gazan civilian fatalities for my first calculation with a second calculation omitting the 7,000 “missing” Gazans.
Tenth Question: But even if 24,000 Gazan civilians have been killed, is it not also too high?
The laws of war acknowledge that collateral damage (the death of civilians) is unavoidable in armed conflict. In armed conflicts, the civilian casualty ratio is the ratio of civilian casualties to combatant casualties. A high ratio may well indicate that one side is responsible for causing an excessive number of civilian deaths. Let`s review the ratio of Gazan civilian/combatant casualties compared with past similar urban warfare ratios. The result will indicate if 24,000 civilian fatalities is too high.
No previous conflict is exactly like Israel’s operation today in terms of the number of Hamas combatants embedded in populated urban areas, mainly underground in vast tunnel complexes. Despite the IDF`s complicated conflict, let`s look at several previous conflicts and then compare to Israel`s IDF.
In the 1945 Battle of Manila, the U.S. military operation led to the death of 100,000 civilians to rout 17,000 Japanese defenders, for a ratio of nearly 6 to 1.
In 1999, NATO intervened in the Kosovo War with a bombing campaign against Yugoslav forces. For every Serbian soldier killed by NATO in 1999 (the period in which Operation Allied Force took place), four civilians died, a civilian to combatant casualty ratio of 4:1.
In Iraq, figures from 20 March 2003 to 14 March 2013 indicate that of 174,000 casualties only 39,900 were combatants, resulting in a civilian/combatant casualty rate of 4.3:1.
In the Mosul conflict, which lasted from October 2016 into July 2017, 2,500 ISIS fighters were killed during the US and Iraqi offensive to retake the densely populated city. The price Mosul’s residents paid in blood to see their city freed was 9,000 to 11,000 dead, resulting in a civilian/combatant casualty rate of about 4:1.
The United Nations put noncombatant to combatant deaths caused by U.S. and British forces in Afghanistan between 3:1 and 4:1.
Gaza: The civilian (24,000)-to-combatant (17,000) death ratio for Israel’s operation in Gaza today, is 1.4 to 1, is at the lowest end of the historical range.
If we reduce the civilian fatalities by the 7,000 “missing” civilians, then the civilian (17,000)-to combatant (17,000) death ratio for Israel’s operation in Gaza today, is 1 to 1, probably the lowest civilian death rate in any modern war. Genocide? If Israel is performing “genocide”, then far worse genocide was committed in every other modern conflict, bar none.
How did the IDF achieve this impressively low civilian-combatant ratio? The IDF is undoubtedly the most moral army in the world. The IDF made a big effort to warn civilians away from areas and buildings about to be targeted, through leafletting, messaging, and telephoning. In just the first few months of the conflict in Gaza, in order to keep civilian casualties to a minimum, more than fourteen million leaflets with maps showing safe areas and how to best travel to them were dropped, six million messages were sent, and four million phone calls were made.
Professor Spencer of West Point, the leading expert on urban warfare, concluded that “Israel has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history — above and beyond what international law requires.” He added: America and its allies should be studying how they can apply the IDF’s tactics for protecting civilians, though these militaries would almost certainly be extremely reluctant to employ these techniques because it would disadvantage them in any fight with an urban terrorist army.
Eleventh Question: The “World” has accused Israel of performing a genocide of the Gazans and trying to exterminate the Gazans by way of starvation and famine and refusing to provide aid. Does Israel really refuse aid to be provided to the Gazans, much like the Americans, the British, the Canadians and the French did not provide aid to Germans in captured towns during the Second World War?
The accusation is one huge almost unbelievable lie. The lie may be based on the experience of the Allied nations during World War Two (WW2) who did not provide aid to Germans in captured towns. Contrary to historical military experience, Israel has made aid such as food, medicines, water and fuel, available to the enemy civilian population of Gaza.
Please bear in mind that there were no separate Nazi and German populations in Germany during WW2. They were at once all Germans and all Nazis. (See Hitler`s Willing Executioners by Goldhagen). In identical fashion, there are no separate Hamas and civilian Gazan populations. Until recently, polls in Gaza indicated that Hamas is supported by over 70% of the civilian population. Hamas are Gazans and Gazans are Hamas.
A huge reminder. The West, being the big five of the USA, the UK, France, Canada and Australia, has not demanded that the hostages held by Hamas be supplied with food, water, medicines and proper shelter nor visits by third parties.
Except for water, Israel does not provide aid but facilitates the entry of aid into Gaza subject to Israel`s security check. Initially, the UN or its affiliates were responsible for the distribution of aid in Gaza. The UN performed these tasks with the efficiency and organizational ability of a service delivery performed by the average South African municipality (that is, almost non-existent). Often, hundreds of trucks with contents approved by Israel for entry into Gaza simply just stood due to the absence of UN trucks and drivers to distribute within Gaza. Below you will see statistics of the improvement in the distribution of aid after the private sector became involved.
https://x.com/i/status/1780695729243120036
The Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom crossing on 17 April 2024: the contents of 750 trucks were cleared by Israel waiting to be collected by the UN. This scene is repeated regularly. The UN then blames Israel for infrequent deliveries.
In addition to the UN`s inefficiencies in Gaza, Hamas terrorists have confiscated so much humanitarian aid that they are struggling to find space in warehouses to store all of it. Hamas exerts full control over food and medicine distribution in Gaza.
Much of the aid entering Gaza is not distributed free to the Gazan population but is instead aiding and financing Hamas and other Islamic groups. The stolen “free” aid is then sold by Hamas to merchants at inflated prices. The proceeds are then used to finance Hamas`s operations.
Best of all from Hamas`s perspective, the combination in Gaza of the UN`s organizational inefficiencies and Hamas`s theft has resulted in Israel being accused of “causing starvation and famine”.
Now for the facts of the amount of aid that Israel has permitted to enter Gaza, as provided by Israel`s COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories). There is no need for any further comment.
Gaza Humanitarian Data since October 7th, 2023 as of 17 September 2024
Total Aid: 1,033,641 tons
Trucks approved to enter Gaza: 52,356
Aid – Food: 801,050 tons
Food aid includes meat, poultry, fish, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, eggs, flour, rice, sugar, cooking oil, mixed canned items and high-energy biscuits. Ready-to-eat food is also supplied.
Aid – Sheltered Equipment: 75,985 tons
Aid – Medical: 26,327 tons
Aid – Water: 50,810 tons. Water is available via 3 water pipelines from Israel and 2 water pipelines from Egypt.
Medical: Polio Vaccine Update: 187,000 doses of polio vaccines by UNICEF have been transferred to Gaza. In total, and since the start of the vaccination campaign in September 2024, 521,903 children have been vaccinated for Polio in central, southern, and northern Gaza.
Bakeries: 12 bakeries are operational, producing close to 3 million pita loaves a day for a population of about 1,900,000.
Fuel: Gas tankers designated for the operation of essential infrastructure in Gaza enter Gaza almost daily. The total number of tankers since October 7 2024 has not been made available.
Twelfth Question: OK, I agree the total amount of aid entering Gaza is impressive, but how do I know that the aid is sufficient to prevent starvation and prevent famine?
Columbia University Professors Awi Federgruen and Ran Kivetz have analyzed available data and conducted research whose findings demonstrate that sufficient amounts of food are being supplied into Gaza. They note that it is “a myth that Israel is responsible for famine in Gaza.”
They examined the hard data, available from such sources as COGAT and the UN. Federgruen and Kivetz’s research and findings demonstrate that sufficient amounts of food are being supplied to Gaza for each individual. According to their research, they demonstrate that 250 truckloads suffice to feed the entire Gazan population, in accordance with a normal diet in North America.
Nevertheless, what they found is that food is not consistently distributed inside Gaza. The Professors point to reports that suggest that food is not distributed inside Gaza by the UN due to sabotage and theft by Hamas. This problem is the fault of the UN, UNRWA and NGOs and has nothing whatsoever to do with Israel.
The hard data on food supplies are not difficult to obtain. Their analysis is based on data from COGAT, as well as reports and data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, is available on the internet, is updated regularly and is set out above in my previous question. Israel Humanitarian efforts – Swords of Iron (gaza-aid-data.gov.il).
These data display a totally different picture from what the ICC and UN are trying to paint, and directly refute the baseless claims that Israel is causing a famine or using starvation as a method of war.
The first part of that food supply chain is in Israel’s hands because Israel is the major force that controls what comes into Gaza. Once the food enters Gaza, however, the supply chain is no longer under Israel’s control, as the food is taken over by NGOs, the UN, UNRWA and interventions by Hamas.
The academics found that the food supply entering Gaza is more than sufficient to feed all 1.9 million Gazans according to what is considered a normal diet in North America. This is because if just 250 truckloads enter Gaza every day (more actually enter), and assuming the food is adequately distributed, every Gazan would receive the amount of food that the average individual consumes in North America. This is in addition to the food that Gazans continue to produce themselves.
They note that their calculation is based on each truckload carrying 20 tons of food. This means that 250 truckloads provide five million kilograms, about 2.25 kilograms per person in Gaza, almost identical to the 2.36 kg of food per day that the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the average individual consumes in North America. Research in Israel has concluded that every Gazan was provided with 3,374 Kcal a day, while only 2,100 Kcal is needed.
Thirteenth Question. Is there an acceptable definition of “famine” and can it be shown that there is no famine in Gaza?
The answer is straightforward: Yes, and yes! The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is an innovative multi-partner initiative for improving food security and nutrition analysis and decision-making. By using the IPC classification and analytical approach, Governments, UN Agencies, NGOs, civil society and other relevant actors, work together to determine the severity and magnitude of acute and chronic food insecurity, and acute malnutrition situations in a country, according to internationally-recognized scientific standards.
The main goal of the IPC is to provide decision-makers with a rigorous, evidence- and consensus-based analysis of food insecurity and acute malnutrition situations, to inform emergency responses as well as medium- and long-term policy and programming.
The official IPC Phase 5 definition of a famine is “2 people per 10,000 inhabitants dying per day due to outright starvation or the consequence of malnutrition and disease”. This is already the average death rate for famine in neighboring Egypt. In December 2023, the IPC claimed that a famine was likely in Gaza (in other words, not now but a future event). 9 months and two more forecasts later, there’s still no famine. But the world immediately accused Israel of causing a famine and rushed to international courts!
Famine is imminent,” UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol claimed in March 2024. “A high risk of Famine persists as long as the conflict continues, and humanitarian access is restricted,” a third IPC review argued. Both failing forecasts. There is still no starvation, no famine and not even food shortage, according to the findings of Professors Awi Federgruen and Ran Kivetz.
At no time did the IPC announce that the forecasted starvation or famine had actually arrived.
If there really was a famine or a starvation problem, based on IPC`s official definition of 2 deaths per 10,000 inhabitants, there should be 200 Gazan deaths daily or 60,000 deaths from famine, based on a population of 2,000,000 and close to 300 days since the “high risk” was first forecasted in December 2023.
To the extent that it can be believed, Hamas, through its Ministry of Health, has reported on 34 deaths from famine, not daily but in total, since 7 October 2023 (actually, some deaths were shown to be attributable to other medical events but let it be).
Currently, IPC appear to have dropped references to actual famine in Gaza instead stating that Gazans face high levels of acute food insecurity through September 2024.
Why are Gazans facing high levels of acute food insecurity when the Columbian University professors found there was sufficient food for the whole population?
What follows is unbelievable. Please see the table below. IPC, a semi-governmental agency, only includes aid brought by the government and NGOs in their calculations, indicated below in light blue. Aid brought through the private sector indicated in green in the table below, is not included in their calculations. Well, if you are going to exclude over 50% of aid actually received, obviously, you will determine that food insecurity exists.
However, as the evidence clearly indicates, it is clear that there was and is no starvation or famine or food shortage in Gaza nor is there any food insecurity whatsoever.
As I showed in my second question above, Gazan children under the age of 5, as at August 2024, appear to be better nourished than children in South Africa, Egypt and India (CIA factbook).
Fourteenth (and last) Question. Could you please show me some short videos evidencing the availability of food in Gaza?
With pleasure. Statistics certainly prove Israel`s contentions that there is no shortage of food in Gaza but sometimes seeing is believing. Below please find some short videos of food in “food-deprived Gaza” covering the period from March to September 2024.
What about the price? Please see the first and third videos.
The last video is a must-see. There are attempts in Western countries to boycott Israel. But not, apparently in Gaza, where “made in Israel” is a marketing advantage!
(Reminder: you may need to copy and paste into your URL (the web address line at the top of a new page))
Watch: pic.twitter.com/9oVESXFIue
Is there really a famine in Gaza? You decide. A Palestinian journalist went to a Gazan market to test what he could buy with $10. Please note the product availability. 20 September 2024
https://x.com/i/status/1832045652005548105
A vegetable stall in North Gaza. 6 September 2024
https://x.com/i/status/1831624943563354530
A food stall in Gaza. 5 September 2024
Fava beans: one type – 3 shekels ($0.81);
another type – 4 for 10 shekels ($2.71)
Sardines – 7- 8 shekels ($1.90-$2.17)
Small tuna – 6 shekels ($1.62)
Large tuna – 10 shekels ($2.71)
Ghadeer canned chicken – 12 shekels ($3.25)
Halva – 7 shekels ($1.90)
Macaroni – 5 packets for 10 shekels ($2.71)
Dry chickpeas – 25 shekels ($6.77)
Red lentils (dry) – 7 shekels ($1.90)
Canned mutton – 10 shekels ($2.71)
Canned beef – 13 shekels ($3.52)
1kg (2.2lbs) sugar – 57 shekels ($15.44)
Canned tomatoes – 10 shekels ($2.71)
https://x.com/i/status/1829055226172649744
Ice cream for sale in “starving” South Gaza. It costs 5 shekels ($1.37), although before the war it cost just 1 shekel ($0.27). Despite the price, people are queuing up and the seating area is full. 29 August 2024.
https://x.com/i/status/1827960415885684750
Shopping options in Deir al-Balah, Central Gaza Strip: A well-stocked grocery store and a fruit and vegetable stall. 26 August 2024.
https://x.com/i/status/1826646189716242890
New in the Gaza Strip! Australian lamb for sale in Abasan al-Kabira, South East Gaza Strip, at Abu Hassouna Supermarket. 22 August 2024. Unfortunately, there is no excellent kosher Australian lamb available for sale in Israel.
https://x.com/i/status/1826554664558469337
While shopping in wartime Gaza, Jihad and his friend buy cakes and slushies to eat in the street. As they walk along, we see undamaged buildings, cars, a clothes store and stalls filled with fresh vegetables. 22 August 2024.
https://x.com/i/status/1821809596354171277
Chef Hamada opens his Deir al-Balah restaurant. Central Gaza Strip. 9 August 2024.
https://x.com/i/status/1821427293513752910
Gazans in South Gaza looting fruit and vegetable headed for North Gaza, for the 3rd day in a row. 8 August 2024
20 May 2024 The ICC charges against Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant include “causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war, including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies”. Who is doing the denying?
https://x.com/i/status/1791477451324895314
Friday lunch today in Gaza, made with chicken livers imported from Israel. 17 May 2024
https://x.com/i/status/1784529694416568340
El-Omda Restaurant, Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip – not just shawarma! You can order whole grilled chickens as well! Wartime food in Gaza. 28 April 2024.
https://x.com/i/status/1773659118718370287
A market in Rafah, south Gaza Strip. 29 March 2024
https://x.com/i/status/1771597683947413991
Another restaurant selling shawarma in wartime Gaza Strip – Thailandy Restaurant in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip, is busy serving customers. 23 March 2024
https://x.com/i/status/1766878663876722691
Freshly slaughtered lambs prepared by a Gaza charity for distribution to displaced Gazan families. 10 March 2024
https://t.co/YDVFzVlFuJ pic.twitter.com/ZLZQEG0Ote
Selling flip-flops in South Gaza for 45 shekels ($12) each. The vendor shouts the selling point – that these are Israeli flip-flops!
Conclusion. This ends my question-and-answer tour of the Gaza Strip. It is clear that Israel has been unjustly vilified, and subjected to a campaign of smears and lies. Rather than invent the wheel and write my own conclusion, here is an editorial from the UK`s Telegraph, which many of you have already read and which brilliantly sums up the situation in which Israel finds itself. Perhaps you will find additional meaning in this editorial in the context of my questions and answers.
The Battle Israel Faces Is about Upholding Civilization Itself – Allister Heath (Telegraph-UK)
Bereft of any sense of right and wrong, incapable of distinguishing heroes from villains, the West can no longer celebrate when good triumphs over evil. Israel’s brilliantly audacious booby-trapping of thousands of Hizbullah pagers, followed by the blowing up of the terror group’s walkie-talkies, is a stunning boost for the forces of civilization worldwide.
A tiny nation of just 9.3 million, of which 7.2 million are Jewish, living in a country the size of Wales, reeling from the worst antisemitic pogroms since the Holocaust, Israel is leading the war against barbarism. The fact that so many in Britain, Europe and America no longer take Israel’s side in this existential combat exemplifies our cultural, intellectual and ethical degeneration.
The Biden administration is obsessed with preventing “escalation,” even though that is what is required if Iran is to be stopped from gaining the means to wage a nuclear World War III. In a rational world, David Lammy, Britain’s foreign secretary, would be privately congratulating his Israeli counterparts for the most successful surgical operation ever conducted against a terrorist organization, with few civilian casualties, and pledging Britain’s help.
Pacifism is a deluded utopia that fails to grasp the reality of the human condition. It is madness to criminalize all warfare, and despicable to focus on that conducted by democracies and ignore that advanced by our enemies.
Israel is the supreme embodiment of law-bound national, democratic sovereignty, of peoplehood, of matching a nation to a state, of post-imperialism, of capitalism and technology, and of the continued relevance of the monotheistic religions.
If you tear down Israel, you destroy the very ideas that underpin the West, the international order implodes and the autocracies triumph. The stakes are thus unbelievably high. We must support Israel, and allow it to finish the job of annihilating Hamas and defeating Hizbullah.
The writer is the editor of The Sunday Telegraph-UK.
(The above editorial is a shorter form of the actual editorial which is behind a paywall. I have compared the two versions and remain with the shorter version. In the longer version, Mr Heath points out “Churchill would be convicted for crimes against humanity today, as would Roosevelt and Truman. D-Day would be ruled illegitimate because so many French civilians died during the battle”).
