The inflammatory remarks by Haaretz editor Amos Schocken at a conference in England – where he labeled Palestinian terrorists as "freedom fighters" – is not the biggest hit his newspaper has produced during this war. That harsh anti-Israel speech was general and didn't address specific events. The newspaper's new campaign – defining IDF operations in northern Gaza as war crimes – is not only more focused but could potentially trigger criminal proceedings against IDF officers in international tribunals.
Haaretz has dedicated multiple "investigations" and editorials to this topic. Meanwhile, writers like Tomer Persico are pushing messages such as "What's happening in northern Gaza is a massive war crime... They're trying to unnecessarily expel civilians from their homes and besiege them to death through starvation."
This campaign reflects both ignorance of international law and a strategic misunderstanding of Israel's challenge. The IDF consistently adheres to humanitarian law principles established in the Hague and Geneva Conventions. The principle of proportionality is maintained, and the extensive destruction in Gaza stems solely from the depth of the problem Israel faces.
Both the Lebanese government and what remains of Hamas could end the war tomorrow by simply agreeing to Israel's elementary demands. In Lebanon, this means disarming Hezbollah, preventing rearmament from the east, and demilitarizing the area south of the Litani. Under such an arrangement, Lebanon would not be able to rebuild Shiite villages adjacent to the fence but would not lose its sovereign territory. In Gaza, it means dismantling Hamas rule, exiling surviving organization leaders, and accepting external mechanisms to manage civilian life in Gaza. From that moment, there would be no more shelling or casualties.
Using a medical analogy, it's common to distinguish between acute illnesses (like flu), chronic conditions (like asthma), and autoimmune diseases (like cancer). Treating an acute illness is simple – rest and pain relievers. An autoimmune disease, however, requires much more aggressive and deep treatment. The body suffers greatly, and the chances of full recovery are not guaranteed.
Terror in Gaza has reached a cancerous, autoimmune level. Almost no cell above or below ground in Gaza is free from metastases of cancerous terror, and there's no choice but to surgically remove some of the diseased organs and subject the remaining ones to intense radiation therapy. To be fully convinced of its defeat, Hamas must permanently lose territory.
The Eiland Plan, as implemented in northern Gaza, marks the first time Israel has employed a strategy with internal logic and promise to change reality. Beyond evacuating northern Gaza, Israel must maintain the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors to maintain access for periodic counterterrorism operations, just as it has in Samaria. This strategy is also the only hope for Palestinian civilians in Gaza to have normal lives in the future. Because as long as Hamas controls them, life in Gaza will never be worthy of being called life.
And Gaza was corrupted before Israel, and Gaza was filled with Hamas. And Israel saw Gaza, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. The first to draw parallels with the biblical flood was the Gazans themselves, who called the October 7 massacre "Tufan (flood) al-Aqsa." They just didn't anticipate the direction the waters would flow.
