EDITORIAL — Another voice calling out excesses

Another voice has called Israel out on its excesses in the war in Gaza, and this time it may be turning more heads and commanding attention since it comes from a former prime minister of Israel itself.

Former prime minister Ehud Olmert, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2009, told BBC News that what Israel “is doing now in Gaza is very close to a war crime.”

He also described the ongoing conflict as “a war without a purpose --a war without a chance of achieving anything that can save the lives of the hostages.”

Olmert is a staunch critic of the current Israeli administration, so harsh words from him is no surprise, but we cannot totally disagree with him either.

Let’s be clear about something here; Hamas, the terrorist organization, must be dismantled and rendered helpless. But the war in Gaza is now being carried and prosecuted to excess, with attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure being carried out regularly.

In fact from there, we hear about the heartbreaking news of a woman who lost nine of her 10 children during an airstrike on a school in Khan Younis last Friday.

And while there are indications that Hamas is willingly using civilian infrastructure to hide their operations, the Israel Defense Force must take utmost care when conducting operations because not everyone in Gaza is supporting Hamas, and not everyone in Gaza is a terrorist.

These excesses have even victimized Israelis themselves after three Israeli hostages taken during the October attack by Hamas were shot and killed by their own soldiers so bent on revenge they didn’t they were facing their own.

Aside from plans on how to rescue the still-remaining hostages, the long-term plan of Israel on what to do with Gaza and the people there if --and not yet a guaranteed when-- they finish off Hamas is also not quite clear, leading to speculations that their actions now will just stoke more hate against them in the future.