You don’t kill this many children by accident

Karachi, Pakistan: How many innocent lives in Gaza must Israel destroy before acknowledging its role as the aggressor? At which press briefing will it display a torn stuffed toy and label it a tool of war? When will they declare a dismantled tricycle a grave threat to existence? Each child’s death is not an accidental occurrence; it’s a deliberate strategy. These are systematic acts of murder.

Beyond the immediate fatalities, can Israel truly portray itself as a victim while it controls essential supplies for every Gazan household? When it determines which children receive nourishment and which patients succumb due to lack of permits? Israelis often cry victim on television to validate their executioner role behind the scenes. Will they ever classify a child’s collapsed lung as a hostile underground pathway? Or a toddler’s spine as a concealed weapon? At what point does dehumanization reach a level where even a mother’s womb is labeled a military target?

Benefiting from seized assets doesn’t allow one to claim dispossession. Controlling fundamental resources and restricting movement constitutes collective punishment and siege warfare, rather than a defensive action. Military actions against civilian infrastructure signify aggression, not defense. Confusing political dissent with security risks is a tactic to justify continuous military actions. Bombarding homes, enforcing starvation through sieges, and hindering medical assistance are meticulously calculated strategies. This is aggression, not defense! Yumna Zahid Ali

Homecoming coverage

Bohemia, L.I.: Regarding “Ma fears for Gaza flotilla son” (Oct. 5), my son Eric was aboard one of those vessels. On Oct. 1, the Israeli military intercepted them in the Mediterranean while still in international waters. The vessels were seized, and all crew members were detained and imprisoned in Israel. They received minimal food and no medical attention. Other parents and I have communicated with the embassy in Israel, the U.S. Department of State, the UN, and the White House. After persistent efforts, we learned that our loved ones would be released yesterday and taken to Jordan. They are expected to fly to JFK. Families across the U.S. will gather to welcome them. I encourage the Daily News to cover this event. When hostages returned to other countries, it garnered significant media attention. Helen Lein

Seeding future violence

Palo Alto, Calif.: Israelis face an urgent decision: Continue along the destructive path orchestrated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or pursue a future of peace and justice. Every act of aggression breeds resentment, leading to further violence. In Gaza, Israeli bombardments have claimed hundreds of lives in the past two weeks, including a 5-year-old girl named Noor, found lifeless amid the ruins of her home. Hospitals warn of inevitable fatalities as fuel for critical medical equipment dwindles. These tragedies are not self-defense measures — they’re war crimes. Meanwhile, France and several European nations, alongside Britain and Canada, recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. Israelis must rise, reject Netanyahu’s destructive governance and advocate for a fair peace before perpetual conflict becomes their legacy. Jagjit Singh

That’s apathy

New Hyde Park, L.I.: To Voicer Rose S. Wilson: President Trump’s not asleep; he doesn’t care. Matthew Callanan

Trumpy chutzpah

Bronx: In response to “Andy: Zohran must condemn ‘Globalize Intifada’ by Oct. 7” (Oct. 6), one could think Andrew Cuomo is taking cues from Donald Trump, giving ultimatums to Zohran Mamdani, the forthcoming people’s mayor of New York City. I found it hilarious when Andy asked Mamdani for “moral clarity.” Virgilio Carballo

No easy out

Clearwater, Fla.: Re “Freakoffs get Diddy 50 months in prison” (Oct. 4): Instead of showing humility, Sean “Diddy” Combs has shown nothing but pure, unadulterated arrogance and feelings of entitlement. Too bad for Combs. His audience will just have to wait until he completes his 50-month prison sentence. He never should have booked speaking engagements based on the assumption that he would immediately be released from prison. In the meantime, Combs may as well unpack his bags and sit tight while he plays the waiting game. JoAnn Lee Frank

Where’d he go?

Somerset, N.J.: For the second year in a row, your baseball expert and columnist Bill Madden has no columns during the MLB playoffs. Why not? Arthur Bressler

Mess of a team

Point Pleasant, N.J.: The Jets are a mess — the only team in NFL history not to create a turnover through five games (an NFL record). The worst defense in football. Still no quarterback, and the coaching is a disgrace. There were more Cowboys fans than Jets fans at the Jets game this weekend. Worse than the Rich Kotite era. When does Woody Johnson cut the cord? Bring back Rex Ryan. This is worse than the same ol’ Jets. Mike Agar

Unwelcome changes

White Plains, N.Y.: I’ve been a lifelong Daily News reader like my father before me. I don’t like this new online format for reading the paper. Sometimes I like to print out certain parts, like Bramhall’s cartoons. Before, I could just select the cartoon and print that out. Now I have to print the whole page, whether or not I want the article. This new version is more complicated to navigate. What was wrong with the old one? Sometimes, improving on something does not make it better. Also, why did you get rid of the Justice Story? I would print them out and send them to my 92-year-old father in Puerto Rico. We are true-crime buffs. Not happy, in case anyone cares. Iris Clemente-Bell

Get Dems on board

Glen Burnie, Md.: I’m reading that tariff revenue is skyrocketing to more than $215 billion and Trump is reviving his idea about sharing this revenue with the American people in the form of a one-time $2,000 payment. I have a better idea. Instead of this nominal impact, Trump should challenge the Democratic Party to join him by ramping up the pressure on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to dramatically slash interest rates by an unprecedented 3 percentage points. This could save the average U.S. family $1,500 per month off the “price of money” and wouldn’t cost the U.S. taxpayer a dime. And with all the tariff revenue going toward debt reduction, coupled with a massive slash in national interest payments, the $37 trillion “existential threat” time bomb will finally be defused. Luana Dunn

Democrat dodger

Staten Island: All the windbag lefties who love making fun of Bone Spurs Trump were awfully silent for four years when it came to Joe Biden’s illustrious service during the Vietnam era. Sadly, “childhood asthma” kept Joe from military service, though it didn’t prevent him from playing football, serving as a lifeguard and facing down the fearsome Corn Pop. John Colella

Happy to have him?

Lake Ariel, Pa.: So the guy the progressive, liberal Democrats in Des Moines, Iowa, hire to run their school district of 30,000 kids is an illegal immigrant with a criminal history (“ICE arrests leader of Iowa’s largest school district, says he was living and working in US illegally,” Sept. 26). He drives around in one of the district’s vehicles, carrying a loaded handgun and knife. He lied on his application about a doctorate degree he does not have. But he inspires and educates the kids. What’s he teaching them? How to be liars, thugs and criminals? And the woke liberal idiots still want him around their kids. Who said stupid is dead in this country? It seems to be thriving in the blue states. Joseph Beyhl

Stay above it

Forest Hills: In a recent letter, a Voicer referred to a fellow Voicer as an “idiot.” In a forum like this, differing opinions are expected and welcomed, but personal attacks and name-calling sink to the level of Trump. The Daily News and its Voicers are better than that. Letters containing insults should not be written or published. Alan Hirschberg