It has been a terrible day for Israel, and it is a demonstration not only of the horrors of war but also of the inherent dangers Israel consciously embraces daily.
Three hostages were mistakenly killed in Shejaiya, a hotbed of terrorists and suicide bombers. IDF soldiers went into the battle zone and saw three people running as if they were terrorists and opened fire. The hostages had either escaped as the battle was going on or had been abandoned by Hamas terrorists during the battle. This tragedy falls on the heels of 10 IDF elite forces being ambushed as they were clearing a house yesterday.
Both of these tragic encounters are a reflection of Israel’s commitment to saving every non-Hamas life possible while waging a war against a brutal enemy that demonstrated its evil on October 7 and continues to show its evil in its use of hostages and civilians as human shields.
Because of the value that Israel places on each human life, the IDF risks the lives of its forces every day in Gaza by clearing houses one at a time. In their attempts to not hurt Gaza civilians — even those who want Israel destroyed — IDF soldiers take daily risks and put themselves in harm’s way.
No army in the history of the world has ever fought such a war. Never before has a nation curtailed its own actions in order to save the civilian lives of its enemy. We need only look at the bombing of Dresden, where between 35,000 and 250,000 civilians were killed, the war in Iraq, where over 300,000 civilians were killed, or the dropping of bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed between 100,000 and 200,000 civilians to see how civilian casualties have always been one of the worst aspects of war.
But despite the direct dangers that Israel places its soldiers in, they have always been committed to not repeating the collateral damage of Dresden, Hiroshima, et al.
While we mourn the deaths of innocents, we must also give accolades to Israel: a nation so committed to saving every life possible that she risks her own forces clearing one house at a time rather than take the easier road of keeping her own soldiers safe.
It is a true statement that Israel protects her citizens with her army, while Hamas protects its army with its civilians.
May the memories of these innocents be blessed, and may we always remember the courage and dedication Israel demonstrates every day of this war in her attempt to save even one life.
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