Hamas casualty figures are lies says expert
IDF humanitarian actions “unprecedented” says Spencer
The Israel Defence Force’s efforts to protect civilian life in Gaza are unprecedented in modern military history, according to John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare at the US Military Academy at West Point.
Speaking at a Zionist Federation of Australia event in Melbourne recently, Spencer detailed the IDF’s extensive measures to minimise civilian casualties, noting that Israel implemented multiple warning systems before and during military operations in Gaza.
“Israel, after October 7, waited three weeks, gave notification… No other military has done that level of daily pauses for civilians to get out of harm’s way after the battle has started,” Spencer told the audience.
He outlined several innovative approaches employed by the IDF, including telephone calls to Gaza residents, text messages, and the distribution of military maps to civilians.
The IDF also pioneered the use of “roof knocking” – warning occupants before striking buildings with military significance – and deployed drones with speakers to broadcast evacuation notices.
“Israel started doing daily pauses, so every day for hundreds of days, Israel would notify the entire population. For these four hours, we will stop all fighting so you can move along this road to get to safety,” Spencer explained.
The military expert expressed concern about new standards being applied exclusively to Israel’s military operations.
“There’s never been a war in the history of war… where any nation has been asked, but what’s your civilian to combat ratio? Because that’s not how war works, just not how the law of war works,” he said.
Spencer clarified common misconceptions about military law, particularly regarding proportionality in warfare.
“Proportionality says… that it’s proportionate force to the concrete military objective you’re trying to achieve, and everything feasible and reasonable once you know what the collateral damage is, to reduce it,” he explained.
He challenged claims about civilian casualty numbers, arguing that Hamas’s reported figures include combatants, people who died of natural causes, and unverified reports from social media.
“The Hamas Gaza health ministry… says there’s 43,000 people who have been killed, which is a lie,” Spencer stated.
Spencer emphasised that while civilian protection measures are crucial, they can be exploited by adversaries.
“The enemy will use that against you, because we’re moral, ethical forces… I just create a scenario where you can’t get to me unless you kill a certain number of civilians,” he explained, describing this as a common terrorist tactic.
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