41 Fall 2023 However, what took place on October 7th, was of unprecedented magnitude and cruelty, a rampage of murder, torture, rape, mutilation and other atrocities, intentionally targeting civilians - babies, children, older persons, women and men - just for being Jewish. In parallel, over 3,800 rockets were launched that day alone at Israeli civilian population centers. 253 people were taken hostage ranging in age from 9 months to over 80 years. To date, 132 hostages kidnapped from Israel over 90 days ago, in addition to 4 held prior to October 7, are still being held in Gaza, whereabouts and fate unknown. There are well-grounded fears for their health and wellbeing with no access being granted to the International Red Cross. The indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israel continue - over 13,400 since October 7th. The Hamas attacks are linked to a wider campaign orchestrated by an Iran-led axis which includes terror organizations such as Hezbollah and the Houthis, attacking Israel on all fronts, with the openly-stated common purpose of annihilating the Jewish State. Another component of this campaign is the instigation of widespread protests around the world calling for Israel's demise, coupled with a wave of rampant antisemitism, including violence and threats of violence against Jews. These have clearly exposed the link between the denial of Israel's right to exist and the denial of the Jewish people’s right to exist. This is the rhetoric of Genocide. The deeds of Hamas, accompanied by its clear statements of intent to bring about the destruction of Israel while calling for the murder of Jews, fulfill the definition of Genocide. It is sad and deeply troubling that South Africa has decided to ignore the perpetrators of genocide and chooses instead to blame the victim. The vicious attacks by Hamas and its allies have compelled Israel to defend itself by removing the threat of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where it has exploited its control over the area, transforming it into a giant fortified military compound, configurated with one primary goal - to attack Israel and bring about its destruction. The tragic high Palestinian civilian casualty toll and level of destruction are an unfortunate, but inevitable, consequence of Hamas’ modus operandi of enmeshing its military-terror apparatus within the civilian environment. This includes their launching and conduct of military-terror activities from within, around and under residential buildings, schools, mosques and even hospitals and UN facilities. Hamas and its leaders have clearly proven that the destruction of Israel is their only motivation and that they view their and the Palestinian civilians' lives as a price worth paying to achieve this goal.
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