According to a news analysis by the New York Times, the Israeli government has allegedly expressed its willingness to kill a large number of civilians in order to defeat Hamas in Gaza. The report stated that in private conversations with American officials, Israeli leaders believed that mass civilian casualties were an acceptable price to pay in their military campaign. The Times also noted that Israeli officials compared their actions to the devastating bombings carried out by the United States in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.
While President Joe Biden’s administration continues to support Israel, they have become more critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to Hamas due to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The article mentioned that US officials became aware of Israeli leaders’ perspective on civilian casualties, which may explain the extensive death toll among civilians and children in Gaza.
The story caught the attention of lawyer and activist Steven Donziger, who suggested that this mentality might also explain why Israel recently dropped a large bomb on the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza and why it appears to be targeting civilians.
MSNBC host Mehdi Hassan also highlighted the article, noting that the paragraph featuring Israel’s alleged acceptance of civilian casualties was almost buried in the middle of the piece.
The Times analysis focused on Washington’s perspective and revealed that the Biden administration initially believed it could garner support for Israel, similar to the support received for Ukraine. However, they soon realized that this would be impossible, as countries around the world, especially developing nations, have been increasingly critical of Israel as the Palestinian death toll rises. Even European allies of the United States are divided on Israel’s war, according to the outlet.
US officials also expressed concerns about Netanyahu’s lack of plans for Gaza after the Israel Defense Forces’ ground troops take control of the territory. It was reported that the Pentagon asked Israel to delay the ground attack to allow for more time to deploy air defenses in Iraq and Syria and negotiate the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The ground invasion of Gaza began on Friday, with a complete communications blackout in the Palestinian enclave. As of Wednesday, the IDF reported that 15 of its soldiers had been killed in the ongoing operations.
In summary, the New York Times article suggests that the Israeli government is willing to sacrifice civilian lives in its campaign against Hamas in Gaza, which has sparked criticism from the Biden administration and various countries around the world. The report sheds light on the complexities and humanitarian consequences of the conflict, as well as the challenges faced by international actors in addressing the situation.
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