Gaza cont

We also saw that Hamas terrorists rarely moved around armed or in uniform. They are terrorists but even they believe the IDF is a moral army. They know IDF soldiers will not shoot them if they walk around as "civilians." They butchered Israeli civilians on October 7, but we came into Gaza looking only for terrorists and they take advantage of it. They prepare their weapons in advance, typically near building entries, and pick them up just before attacking. This is one reason why fighting in Gaza is significantly more complex than other arenas. This is why, when they say civilians die, you'll never know if they were Hamas members attempting to kill soldiers before they died.

Like any terror group Hamas' strategic weapons are lies and propaganda. That's how they were able to promote their lie about a "siege" in the world's leading media outlets. That's how the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas, is able to publish ridiculous, unverified numbers of casualties every day, which are used by the US State Department and other Western governments.

The Gaza I saw was different than the lies we've been fed by Hamas. As they cling to their control of Gaza, we shouldn't fall for the other lies they propagate. Like any other terror group, they must be dismantled.

(Roi Yanovsky is an IDF Reservist who was recently released after 100 days in Gaza. )