Hamas, not Israel, perpetuating death toll in Gaza Strip

What would you do if a rocket could land on your house at any time? If a siren could force you out of bed with just 15 seconds to find shelter? What if loved ones who might be elderly or disabled were faced with this reality — could you sleep knowing their mobility issues might spell disaster?

That depiction is a reflection of life right now in Israel. It’s a threat none of us would tolerate. And ever since Hamas, which is backed by Iran, rejected an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire supported by its own allies in the Palestinian Authority and Arab League, as well as the U.S. and the Mideast Quartet, they not only continue to place both Israeli and Palestinian lives in danger, but push prospects for peace further away.

As a result, Israelis have been forced to make unimaginable decisions. After discovering 13 Hamas commandos infiltrated Israel from a Gaza-based tunnel, on their way to carry out a large-scale attack on the Israeli Kibbutz Sufa, Israel made the difficult decision to expand Operation Protective Edge into a ground offensive.

And it’s a necessary one. Hamas has dug an extensive network of tunnels over many years to smuggle weapons into Gaza, largely from Iran, in an attempt to gain access to Israeli civilian populations for terrorist attacks. In order to protect Israel’s citizens and restore calm, these tunnels must be dismantled. While carefully targeted airstrikes can destroy some weapons caches or launching sites, they cannot counter the valid threats posed by tunnel infiltration.

Since the ground operation commenced, 31 tunnels and 66 entry points have been uncovered in Gaza by the IDF.

Hamas has dedicated millions of dollars and used hundreds of tons of cement to build this extensive system; if only its leaders invested as many resources into the well-being of their own people.

Instead, they deliberately choose to place their own citizens, schools, mosques and hospitals at risk by storing missiles in those facilities, turning them into legitimate military targets and using their own innocent residents as human shields.

The people of Gaza are suffering, and dying, though not solely by the hand of Israel, as many headlines would lead you to believe.

Context is key. While we mourn the injuries and lives lost in both Israel and Gaza, death tolls continue to climb significantly higher in Gaza because Hamas perpetuates it.

The Gaza Strip, governed entirely by Hamas since Israel unilaterally withdrew in 2005, is led by terrorists. Indeed, Hamas is an internationally recognized terror organization that engages in war crimes, smuggles thousands of rockets and missiles in from Iran, and deplorably hopes to increase the number of casualties in Gaza so that they can be leveraged against Israel in a propaganda war. Because, for Hamas, painting Israel as the aggressor and targeting Israelis is more important than protecting its own citizens.

While the Israel Defense Forces seeks to minimize casualties by repeatedly delivering warnings to civilians in Gaza to vacate targeted areas and using pinpoint technologies to hit only terror infrastructures, Hamas victimizes Palestinians, calling on citizens to ignore these warnings, or in some cases, even preventing them from leaving.

What warning does Hamas offer Israelis? None, aside from the 2,300-plus rockets and mortars fired at Israel since the start of Operation Protective Edge. Six million Israelis — 70 percent of the country’s population — are now at risk, in tandem with the civilian population of Gaza. That’s the equivalent of 250 million North Americans.

Yet inexplicably, some still question Israel’s decision to exercise self-defense.

That’s why we support Israel’s effort to restore peace and security to the region and halt terrorism by Hamas. We implore the global community to follow the lead of the United States in recognizing Israel’s right to self-defense and to stand in opposition to terror.

The only long-term solution to this conflict is a negotiated peace that will enable Israel and the Palestinians to live in peace and security with all of their neighbors. This will not be possible until Hamas halts its attacks, is demilitarized and has its terrorist infrastructure defeated.

Elliot B. Karp is president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas.