The saddest part is the predictability of it all. The death stench is a deja vu of a deja vu that made you physically ill the first time around. At some point, children always pay the price with their innocent lives. By now, you would think everyone would understand this horrific routine and stop, but somehow it still works. Everyone keeps playing their part.
If you've been lucky enough to miss the previous episodes, Hamas started the current conflict by firing at Israel, and has refused all cease-fire attempts, including ones called for humanity relief of the Gazans, because this is exactly what it wants. In the past year or so, Hamas has become secluded: it was rejected by Egypt and its fund sources dwindled, Abbas has become the legitimate leader of the Palestinians in the world, and Hamas was cornered. It needed war and death around it, otherwise it would become irrelevant and lose its place.
The tactic of Hamas is quite simple, since terrorists have come to know how to seep through the cracks in the strength of the free world. Hamas knows that if it will fire hundreds of rockets at Israeli civilians IDF would have to retaliate, and from there - the situation will only escalate, while the Palestinian people are no more than pawns in the Hamas deadly game.
Why has Hamas threatened Gazans not to evacuate their homes despite repetitious warnings by the IDF? Because it uses residential neighborhoods as fronts, while underneath it hides headquarters, weapons and a sophisticated network of terror tunnels. If the Gazan human shields live, it is because their presence puts the IDF in a moral dilemma and Hamas is protected. If they die, their bodies become gory photos that are used against Israel as poisonous propaganda so Hamas can gain some legitimacy and continue the game.
As an Israeli, I already know this vicious circle by heart. Personally, I do not like Netanyahu and didn't vote for him, but in this case - he did everything he could to stay out of a violent war. He couldn't simply let Hamas bombard Israeli civilians every day and not respond. Netanyahu is far from perfect, but he did not want this bloody conflict. Hamas did.
The hatred towards Israel and towards Jews around the world is horrifying, because this is how the terror of Hamas gets its way. Most people outside of the region do not know the difference between the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza. Hamas is a murderous terror regime which is dedicated to the destruction of Israel, and even worse - cruelly exploits the desperation of its own people, the Palestinians that it's supposed to lead and protect. For nine years Hamas has been using the deprived Palestinian society in Gaza in order to raise funds. This money was not invested in building an infrastructure of an independent country, but in the purchase of arms and in an infrastructure of tunnels underneath the city for its terror regime.
The terrible truth is that Hamas thrives on Palestinian misery, while its corrupted top officials have become rich men of means.
Why don't the Palestinian people say anything against Hamas? Because Hamas is not someone you want to mess with, unless you're willing to risk being slaughtered. It's as simple as that. The Palestinians are their captives, prisoners with no hope and no way to win.
On the surface there are only two sides to this conflict, but reality is a bit more complex than what Hamas wants the world to think. The Palestinian people and Hamas are not one and the same. One pays dearly with its children's lives so the other can keep terror alive once it's managed to duck the blame.
Even the Arab world has already washed its hands from these endless manipulations, and its support for Hamas is the lowest it's ever been. If the free world really wants to help heal the Palestinians' pain, it needs to help free them from Hamas. Israel has been off Gaza land for nine years. Hamas is the one captivating and ruthlessly exploiting them.