Before we start, this article is essentially an update of Entry 48, in which I explained my perspective on the incredibly brutal war ravaging Gaza. To be blunt, that perspective has changed very little from where it was then, with my view being that Israel as a state does not deserve the scorn it’s getting from many around the world. Instead, I would assign the blame to certain Israeli leaders for their misguided and overly aggressive strategy in this war, in addition to rightly blaming Hamas for even carrying out the October 7 attacks in the first place. However, a lot has happened in this conflict since that entry was written, and accusations of a genocide in Gaza have begun to gain mainstream traction.

In fact, the International Court of Justice has even taken a case presented by South Africa formally accusing Israel of committing said genocide. While the ICJ stopped short of that claim in their decision on the matter, they acknowledged far more of the South African claims than expected, emphasizing the need for a revised strategy by Israel. As of now, the Israeli strategy in Gaza can be summed up as a relentless bombing of both civilian and military targets in an attempt to remove Hamas from power and to remove its leaders from life as well. However, this plan has gone a little sideways, with over 25,000 civilian deaths being counted since the start of the war. On top of that, the IDF, Israel’s armed forces, have lost hundreds of their own, with many of those losses possibly being due to friendly fire and other combat accidents.

All of this evidence indicates that Israel is running a scorched-earth campaign in Gaza, and the resulting humanitarian crisis in the region validates that concern. After all, food and water are still increasingly hard to come by, and most of the over 2 million people living there are displaced as a result of the IDF campaign. This, in turn, explains why many across the globe, including people I consider friends, are increasingly advocating for a free Palestine, with quite a few going further than that. Simply put, this war has been a public relations nightmare for Israel, and this is largely due to the execution of their present strategy.

As for what I would change about the Israeli war strategy, the first thing that needs to change is whoever is in charge of this. First, I’ve already said my piece on Benjamin Netanyahu and how he’s an extremely corrupted authoritarian wannabe, so getting him out of power is vital to any strategic changes. But it’s not just him who needs the proverbial boot, with the other instigator here being Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant. After all, when you’re calling your wartime opponents “human animals” and calling for a total siege that would blatantly violate international law, you have no business leading a 21st century war effort.

So with these two men out of power, the next step is to reorganize the war effort around any special forces Israel has, emphasizing counterinsurgency efforts instead of total war. Basically, the strategy should be to give Hamas leaders the SEAL Team Six treatment, and then help to rebuild Gaza in an image favorable to both Israel and the civilian population in Gaza. Maybe then, Israel can be in a better position, both in terms of public image and national security. Simply put, compassion towards civilians under enemy control is essential to prevent the rise of extremist groups who would want to fight a regime seen as too oppressive. After all, both America and Israel are nations where all peoples are equal on paper, but they both need serious help getting there in practice. And yet, the solution to that problem is simple enough to express in three words: Be more kind. If that is done, a more stable and egalitarian world awaits us all.