Israel-Palestine Mega Fact Check!

It is certainly true that Israel would like to see Hamas eliminated, and has made significant efforts to target and destroy Hamas militants since October 7^th 2023.

However, if Israel’s only goals—other than retrieving the hostages—were to kill Hamas militants and their military assets, then why did Israel damage or destroy 92% of civilian housing units in Gaza since October 7th? Why did they damage or destroy over 80% of commercial buildings and 68% of the road network? Why did they deliberately destroy so many wells as well as desalination plants, then prevent the entry of water purification tablets and water filtration kits? What was the military rationale for bulldozing so many agricultural fields and ripping up orchards?

Could it be related to Israeli leaders’ announcements that they were planning to collectively punish the entire population of Gaza, with President Isaac Herzog justifying it by stating that "There are no innocent civilians in Gaza"?

In May 2024, Gaza expert Norm Finkelstein said on Piers Morgan Uncensored (at 24:40), that “Israel has another goal: … to make Gaza unlivable. And in terms of that goal, which is separate and discreet from the goal of inflicting a military defeat on Hamas, that goal is coming close to achievement. … the only choice that will be left to the people of Gaza will be either to stay and starve or to leave.” In January 2025 Finkelstein noted that Israel had achieved its goal and that “Gaza is no more.”