Myth Debunking

Israel says the killing of Gaza’s children is an unavoidable consequence of fighting Hamas in a densely populated territory. The documented record — from named officials, targeting policy, soldier testimony, UN institutional findings, and the bodies of more than 21,000 children — tells a different story.

A ceasefire was announced on October 10, 2025. Since that day, at least 922 Palestinians have been killed. Israel has violated the agreement at least 3,005 times. 92% of homes were already rubble when it took effect. 87% of cropland is destroyed. The UN Human Rights Chief says living conditions have not improved. This is what the ceasefire actually looks like — in the UN’s own words.

The phrase is repeated after every military operation as if it were a self-evident moral axiom. It is not. It contains a precise legal claim — that Israel’s use of military force against Gaza constitutes lawful self-defense under international law. That claim has been examined by the International Court of Justice twice. Their conclusions are almost never quoted in the same speeches that invoke the phrase.

The claim that the situation in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, does not withstand contact with the primary source record. Gaza City has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967, a period of 56 years before the Hamas attack. During that time, the International Court of Justice ruled the occupation unlawful, five major human rights organizations documented systematic violations, a 16-year blockade was condemned as collective punishment by the UN, the ICRC, and Amnesty International, and four major military operations killed thousands of Palestinian civilians. October 7 did not begin a conflict. It was an eruption within one.