“That indicates the zones were relatively safe, despite Hamas using them to launch rockets,” Orbach stated.
The report emphasizes the importance of context, highlighting that Hamas intentionally set up operations in populated areas, utilized human shields, and obstructed evacuations to boost civilian deaths and provoke international backlash against Israel.
“Hamas exposes its own people to danger intentionally so Israel will be blamed,” Orbach said.
A Gazan man mourns relatives killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, at a hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Although some accuse the Israeli air force of reckless bombing, the analysis reveals that their attacks mainly focused on military targets, making some civilian casualties unavoidable.
“The IDF is unprecedented in issuing specific warnings and delivering substantial aid into hostile territories, even risking strategic surprise to safeguard civilians,” the spokesperson noted. “Battling an adversary hidden in 500 kilometers of tunnels and disguised as civilians inevitably causes significant destruction.”
The analysis scrutinizes the casualty data provided by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, suggesting it was skewed to misrepresent the civilian versus combatant death figures. Alternate statistical models indicate that combatant numbers might have been underreported, altering the civilian-to-combatant ratio.
Hamas terrorists carrying clubs and firearms secure and divert humanitarian aid trucks in the northern Gaza area of Jabaliya on June. 25 (TPS-IL)
The report concludes that genocide involves an orchestrated effort to annihilate a group, which it does not find evident in Gaza. “The typical indicators of genocidal conflict aren’t present here,” Orbach stated. “In contrast, other conflicts in the Middle East saw widespread atrocities like mass rapes and executions occurring in mere hours.”
The IDF announced its troops are now operating in Rafah. Its troops are continuing ground activity in northern and central Gaza. (IDF)
Orbach and his fellow authors conclude that allegations of genocide against Israel rely on politicized narratives, selective data and the exploitation of humanitarian discourse.
“Analyzing devastation or civilian deaths without understanding Hamas’ tactics is absurd,” he stated.
