“No case represents a bigger perversion” of the law than the violence committed by Iranian-allied groups like Hamas, a retired U.S. general said Wednesday.
While the war in Gaza is clearly difficult for civilians, assertions like those made by the International Criminal Court that Israel is starving Gazans did not match what he witnessed during a recent visit to both sides of the border, retired three-star Gen. David Deptula said at a Jewish Policy Center webinar.
Deptula, whose extensive military leadership experience ranges from tsunami relief in South Asia to senior roles in U.S. combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, visited Gaza in late July. He described an area of Gaza near the Keren Shalom border crossing that was lined with dozens of trucks, most of them carrying food. The road had been built by the IDF to make it easier to resupply Gaza’s civilian population with fuel, food, water and other essential supplies.
The amount of food supplies entering Gaza is over 3,000 calories a day – more than sufficient for the average man or woman to maintain a stable diet. But food often fails to reach the civilian population because it is frequently stolen by Hamas fighters and criminal gangs, said Deptula, who emphasized that Hamas fighters deliberately conceal themselves among the civilian population.
He called the killing of Palestinians “a cruel and illegal” part of Hamas’ strategy to drive the IDF out of Gaza before it destroys the group as a military force.
Deptula faulted the Western media for failing to tell the public about the IDF’s fact-finding efforts to hold its military accountable –– which include a judicial arm that is separate from the military chain of command.
The IDF “probably does more than any military in the world to safeguard civilians,” said Deptula. He added that it was essential that Israel retain control of the Philadelphi Corridor – which runs along the border between Egypt and Gaza and is used as a weapon-smuggling route by Hamas. .
Deptula slammed Vice President Kamala Harris and other politicians for failing to understand that there can be no “moral equivalence” between Israel and Hamas, adding that blame for civilian casualties lies squarely with the terror group.
