Amazing that people still think Israel’s attack on Gaza is really about “eradicating Hamas” when Israeli officials have been very explicit about the fact that the aim of the operation is, quite simply, to cause as much death and destruction as possible (i.e., as much as they can get away with), terrorise and brutalise the civilian population, and make life so hellish for those lucky enough to survive the military onslaught that they will eventually be left with no choice but to leave.
Here are just some quotes from current or former Israeli officials:
- IDF spokesperson: “The emphasis [in Gaza’s bombardment] is on damage and not on accuracy”.
- Former Netanyahu-appointed Israeli ambassador to Italy Dror Eydar: “For us there is only one objective: to destroy Gaza”.
- Galit Distel-Atbaryan, Likud Knesset member and former Minister of Information: “Erase all of Gaza from the face of the Earth”.
- Amichai Eliyahu, Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage: “Nuking Gaza is an option. Blow up and flatten everything”.
- Tally Gotliv, Likud Knesset member: “I urge you to do everything and use Doomsday [nuclear] weapons fearlessly against our enemies”.
- Ariel Kallner, Likud Knesset member: “Right now, [we have] one goal: Nakba!”.
- Giora Eiland, former head of Israel’s National Security Council: “Israel needs to to create a humanitarian crisis in Gaza... create conditions where life in Gaza becomes unsustainable... so that the entire population of Gaza will either move to Egypt or move to the Gulf”. Ultimately, Gaza must “become a place where no human being can exist”.
- Israeli think tank with ties to Netanyahu: the war presents a “unique and rare opportunity” for the “relocation and final settlement of the entire Gaza population”.
- Israeli Ministry of Intelligence: published a “concept paper” recommending the permanent transfer of the entire population of the Gaza Strip to Egypt.
These are just a few examples.
Regardless of whether one thinks what is happening in Gaza actually qualifies as a genocide or “simply” as a massacre, what is clear is the genocidal intent of the current Israeli leadership, which they have been very open about: if they could get away with it, they wouldn’t have any qualms about transferring — or even wiping out — the entire Gaza population. The horror we are witnessing in Gaza is simply the logical consequence of that.