Targeted Human Sacrifice
Hamas constructed no shelters for Gazans, instead investing in terror tunnels and weapons stockpiles hidden beneath schools, hospitals, and mosques.
The unilateral withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from Gaza in 2005 marked a pivotal moment in the region’s history. Intended to pave the way for Palestinian self-determination, the withdrawal instead enabled Hamas to transform Gaza into a launchpad for terror. Hamas’ grotesque strategy of cynically sacrificing its own population, termed “targeted human sacrifice,” demands international scrutiny and condemnation.
A Legacy of Violence
Since 2005, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have launched tens of thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians, a blatant violation of international law prohibiting attacks on non-combatants. Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, aptly describes this as a “dual war crime strategy:” attacking civilians while using their own people as human shields.
For Israelis prior to October 7, 2023, this meant living under constant threat, with air raid sirens and bomb shelters embedded into daily life. In stark contrast, Hamas constructed no shelters for Gazans, instead investing in terror tunnels and weapons stockpiles hidden beneath schools, hospitals, and mosques. This deliberate exposure of civilians to danger highlights Hamas’ disregard for human life.
Exploiting Protected Infrastructure
Civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and places of worship are afforded protected status under the laws of armed conflict. However, as Natasha Hausdorff, a barrister specialising in international law, notes: “When such facilities are used for military purposes, these protections are nullified.” Hamas flagrantly exploits this, embedding military assets in civilian areas, making hospitals and schools legitimate military targets under international law.
During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the IDF discovered rockets hidden in United Nations-run schools. This pattern has intensified, with hospitals being used as command centres and residential buildings storing weapons. These actions endanger Palestinian civilians, presented Israel with excruciating moral dilemmas and cost IDF soldiers their lives.
The Strategy of Human Shields
Hamas’ use of human shields is not a defensive necessity but a calculated strategy to weaponize international sympathy. Douglas Murray, a noted commentator, explains: “By placing civilians in harm’s way, Hamas creates the illusion of disproportionate harm to generate outrage against Israel.”
John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute, highlights the challenges this tactic imposes: “When combatants use densely populated urban areas to shield their operations, they exploit the ethical frameworks of their adversaries.” This cynical strategy feeds Hamas’ propaganda machine, relying on harrowing imagery of civilian casualties to stoke anti-Israel sentiment.
It is a tragic indictment of Western naivety that so many have swallowed—hook, line, and sinker—this manipulative narrative.
The Absence of Shelters in Gaza
Unlike Israel, which has ensured widespread access to bomb shelters, Hamas has built none for Gaza’s civilians. Andrew Fox, a former British Army officer, underscores this disparity: “It’s not a matter of resources but priorities. Hamas prioritises weapons over the welfare of its people.”
This deliberate neglect leaves Gazans defenceless during Israeli counter strikes, compounding their suffering. Hamas then exploits these tragedies for propaganda, obscuring its own culpability.
In September 2024, I was personally briefed on the IDF’s extraordinary efforts to minimise civilian casualties. In Rafah, southern Gaza, the IDF successfully eliminated over 1,000 terrorists while civilian casualties were limited to 24.
Such precision in dense urban warfare is unprecedented and a testament to the IDF’s ethical commitment—an inconvenient truth for antisemites and ideologically motivated critics in mainstream media and academia.
How does the IDF Minimize Civilian Casualties?
The IDF employ many strategies to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza. These include issuing advance warnings through leaflets, phone calls, and text messages to alert residents of impending operations, allowing them time to evacuate. The IDF also uses precision-guided munitions to accurately target militant positions while avoiding civilian areas.
Additionally, tactics like “roof knocking”—firing non-lethal munitions onto roofs as a warning before a strike—are utilized to prompt evacuations. The IDF further establishes humanitarian corridors to facilitate safe civilian movement away from conflict zones. These measures reflect the IDF’s commitment to reducing harm to non-combatants during military operations.
The Calculus of Death
For Hamas, civilian casualties are not collateral damage but a deliberate tactic. Richard Kemp observes: “Hamas’ greatest weapon is not its rockets or tunnels but its ability to manipulate world opinion. Civilian casualties are central to their strategy.”
This chilling calculus involves positioning military assets in residential areas and coercing civilians to remain in harm’s way, ensuring a high death toll during Israeli strikes.
Legal and Moral Clarity
Under international law, the responsibility for civilian casualties lies with the party that uses civilians as shields. Hamas’ tactics constitute war crimes, as Andrew Fox asserts: “The international community must hold Hamas accountable for its actions.”
Yet global responses often fail to reflect this reality, with media narratives disproportionately criticising Israel while ignoring Hamas’ culpability. This imbalance perpetuates misinformation and emboldens Hamas to continue its cynical strategies.
A Call to Action
Those advocating for a ceasefire in the current conflict must reflect deeply on the implications of their stance. A more constructive approach would be to demand the arrest and prosecution of Hamas leaders worldwide by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which holds jurisdiction to try individuals for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Accountability and simplicity should guide international action. If the ICC fails to take immediate and decisive measures against Hamas leaders globally, it should be defunded, and its ineffectual leadership replaced. Furthermore, Hamas assets, wherever they exist, must be seized and redirected to Israel to help offset the cost of humanitarian aid for those affected in the Gaza Envelope. Nations such as Qatar and Turkey, which harbour or have harboured Hamas leaders, must face stringent international sanctions and be compelled to pay reparations to Israel.
The global community must confront Hamas’ egregious strategy of targeted human sacrifice for what it truly is: a heinous and calculated effort to maximise civilian suffering for political gain. This starts with holding Hamas accountable under international law and rejecting the false equivalence between a democracy defending its citizens and a terrorist organisation exploiting its own people.
The consequences for nation-states, media outlets, individuals, or transnational organisations that support Hamas must be swift and severe. Tolerating such actions perpetuates the cycle of violence and suffering. Equally, the people of Gaza deserve better than the banal voices in the West, manipulated by Hamas propaganda into endorsing an ill-considered strategy that ultimately harms everyone involved.
As Douglas Murray astutely observes: “The tragedy of Gaza is not that it is blockaded by Israel but that it is held hostage by Hamas.” The people of Gaza deserve better—not as pawns in a propaganda war but as human beings entitled to peace, dignity, and a future free from tyranny.
Addressing this crisis demands courage, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to the truth.
Colonel Michael Scott CSC is the CEO and Founder of The 2023 Foundation, a charity dedicated to combating antisemitism and fostering peaceful coexistence.
The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the positions of the Australian Defence Force or the Commonwealth Government of Australia.
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