Israel / Gaza /Hamas facts only

There has been and still is a lot of confusion, misinformation and ignorance with regard to the facts and the situation in Israel. This post will try to present facts and will be updated if needed. Practical and civil comments are more than welcome, and any fact-based corrections will be immediately corrected. Updated Nov 6.

  •   Israel is located in the Middle East, with the Mediterranean Sea to its West, Lebanon and Syria to its North & North East, Jordan to its East, and Egypt to the South.

  • Gaza, or the Gaza Strip, is part of Israel located on the South West corner. It has the Mediterranean sea to the West, Israel to the North and East, and Egypt to the South. Surrounding the Gaza Strip are multiple Israeli cities, towns, villages and Kibbutzs.
Israel Map
  • The Gaza Strip is made up of many towns and neighborhoods such as Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Jabalia, Rimal, Daraj, Nasser, etc.

A common misconception is that the Gaza Strip is one of the most population dense places in the world. This is false.

    •  Gaza’s land area is approximately 141 sq mi. Population is about 2.4 Million. Population density about 17,000 people/sq mii. Source
    • Manhattan NY’s land area is approximately 23 sq mi. Population is about 1.7 Million. Population density about 74,000 people/sq mi. Source Hoboken, NJ density is 46,000/sq mi, Singapore density is 22,000/sq mi. 

This makes Manhattan close to 4(!) times more population dense than the Gaza Strip. Not included in this number is the 1.6 million daily commuters working in Manhattan, which makes it, during work days, 8 times more population dense than Gaza. **Nobody commutes into Gaza, only out.

None of the Gaza Strip cities come anywhere near to making the list of most populated cities in the world. Source . Gaza City is the most dense city in Gaza and it only ranks 63rd most densely populated city in the world. Source

Another misconception is that all of Gaza’s population is impoverished. There are close to 10,000 multi-millionaires in Gaza, averaging $50-100 Million dollars each and some count themselves multi-billionaires. Source . A good majority of this wealth was initially amassed from smuggling weapons and supply, and have since added to this list International businesses. These very wealthy Palestinians employ private security, live in luxury homes with swimming pools, expensive high-end furniture, and drive the most expensive cars. Many live in the Rimal neighborhood, which doubles as Hamas HQs, weapon caches and communication centers. Much of the wealth is held by Hamas Leaders. Much, if not most of the Financial Aid flowing into Gaza (close to a Billion dollars/year officially) winds up financing warfare through Hamas tax, customs, and the misuse of funds. Source . Hamas 3 top leaders are worth $11 billion combines! Source

Hamas is heavily financed, trained and supplied with ammunition from Iran Source

  • Israel pulled out all Israeli forces from the Gaza strip in 2005. It also forcefully evacuated all Israelis from their home in the Gaza strip and Gaza got full autonomy.
  • In 2006 Hamas was elected by the Gaza residents to govern it. Shortly after that, internal conflict in the Gaza strip lead to Hamas forcefully getting control of the Gaza strip.  They killed the competing political party leaders, draggin them in the streets and throwing them from roogtops, hundreds of civilians were killed and wounded during the fight between the two political parties. Source Source Source . Since then there has not been an election in Gaza and Hamas still rules. Source
  • Hamas has never recognized the right of Israel to exist.
  •  One of primary declared goals of Hamas is the destruction of Israel. Hamas also declares that there is no negotiated settlement possible – Jihad is the ONLY response. Hamas also declares that against an enemy there is no differentiation between man, woman, child or the elderly. Their charter is public. Source
  • Israel provides electricity, water and supplies to Gaza. Hamas charges Gaza residents for electricity, but does not pay Israel for it, as it supposed to. Source
  • Egypt provides some supply to Gaza, and keep mostly a blind eye for a lot of merchandise being smuggled through it’s border to Gaza Source
  • In 2021 Israel issued 20,000 work permits to pre-screened Gaza residents, thus increasing these individuals’ income by a factor of 6 to a factor of 20. Total number in 2023 to date is estimated to be much higher as many illegally cross to Israel with purchased black market work permits. Source This of course will vastly change due to the current events. 
  • On Saturday Oct 7 2023, at 6:30am, hundreds of missiles were fired from the Gaza Strip aimed at Israeli populated areas near Gaza, directly followed by about 3,000 Hamas men equipped with heavy construction machinery, breaking down in multiple locations the Israel border fence and brutally attacked Israeli civilians in their homes as well as outdoor events.
    They slaughtered, murdered and kidnapped babies, children, teenagers, women and men as well as wounded thousands.
    These Hamas terrorists were heavily armed with explosives, missiles, grenades, fire arms, and heavy vehicle -mounted machine guns on trucks, motorcycles and light vehicles.
    As of today’s count over 1,200 Israelis and tourists (among them 31 Americans) were killed, thousands wounded and estimated over 240 kidnapped and taken to Gaza, at least 33 among them are children.
    These Hamas murderers  shot, stabbed, beheaded, and burned babies, children, men and women, unarmed and armed, in the most brutal way conceivable, burned down people’s homes with residents barricaded inside, drilled holes into safe rooms then blindly fired their weapons brutally killing entire families, all the while cheering, celebrating, singing, dancing, documenting and live-streaming their horrific inhumane acts of murderous terrorism, at times with the victims’ own phones for their family and friends to see.
    These well-prepared Hamas terrorists dressed in full gear, armed with a variety of weapons including AK47s, heavy machine guns, hand guns, anti-tank rockets, grenades, explosives, drones with explosives, as well as cold weapons which included tools enabling them to break into homes and protected safe rooms, etc.

Israel’s population is just under 10 million. The number of people slaughtered on Saturday October 7th, adjusting for the size of US population, is comparable to 45,000 Americans of all ages being murdered in a single terror attack in a single day. This is equal to 15 times the number of Americans killed on 9/11. As I write this, not all of the missing Israelis and other nationalities have been accounted for, and over 500 bodies were not yet identified. 

Following Article 7 of the ROME STATUTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT Hamas actions are defined as “crime against humanity”. By that “Israel doesn’t necessarily need to take criminal actions using the International Criminal Court but can and is acting to ensure the total defense of its borders and civilians. While doing so, Israel has the full legal support to carry out attacks against any enemy, whether inside a bunker or in any private or public building. While doing so, international law gives Israel the power to act by putting a complete siege on Gaza, cutting all supplies, and controlling all communications. Also, Israel can take total control of Gaza by conquering the entire Gaza Strip.” Source

 

  •  Also as I write,  IDF (Israel’s Difence Force) is surgically demolishing Hamas Militant and Commanding targets in Gaza – 549 rocket launchers, 136 Command Centers, 31 Military infrastructure hubs, 40 underground targets (ammunition caches, communication centers and escape routes). Israel is utilizing all measures to avoid civilian casualties. Before bombing a target, phones in the target are called and inhabitants are alerted to evacuate. After verifying evacuations, a small missile is deployed on a roof or near, and only then the full charge bomb is dropped. Over 6,000 bombs were dropped. Israel advised all Gaza residents to move to the southern part of the Gaza strip. 
  •  Hamas terrorists intentionally hide its military command centers in populated areas, and threatens residents to remain inside despite getting incoming bomb warnings, thus using Palestinian residents as human shields. Hamas terrorists also do not value their fellow citizens’ lives. Source Source
  • It is estimated that there are over 200 miles of underground tunnels under the Gaza strip, used as escape routes, ammunition storage, command bunkers and other terror functions. For comparison the total length of tunnels in New York city’s subway system is 145 miles.

Added Oct 18 2023

The lack of distinction between Palestinians and Hamas is also a common mistake. This should be explained and clarified.

Hamas

  • Israel was attacked by Hamas, and is fighting with and will continue to fight with them until Hamas is eliminated.
    Hamas is a horrible terrorist organization that on Oct 7th murdered, killed, raped, decapitated, burned alive and butchered more than 1,300 babies, children, elderly, women and men, wounded over 4,000 and kidnapped about 200 in the most brutal attack. In proportion to Israel’s population, it is like 15 times the 9/11 attack is to Americans, or the killing of 45,000 Americans.
  • Hamas did this not only to Israelis or Jews – among the victims are people from about 20 other countries (including Americans) and other religions (including Muslims).
    About 2,000 Hamas terrorists attacked Southern Israel (on the border with Gaza) at once, with an arsenal of tens of thousands of items (from automatic weapons to anti-aircraft missiles, explosives, grenades, anti-tank rockets and RPGs), with instruction manuals (literally) of how to kill, torture, and inflict most deaths and pain in the shortest time.
  • Hamas targets Israeli civilians and use Palestinians as human shields.
  • Hamas locates its Gaza centers, including missile launching platforms, ammunition caches , war rooms and intelligences and communication hubs within and under population centers, hospitals, schools and mosques, to use them as human shields.
    Hamas is threatening Palestinian citizens to stay and occupy their combatant centers to use them and camouflage and human shields.
  • Hamas placed road block trying to prevent Palestinian citizens from evacuating the northern part of Gaza strip as requested by Israel this and last week. Israel was doing it’s best to avoid innocents from being harmed, Hamas wanted them as human shields, and in hope that they can use footage of dead Palestinians for propaganda.
  • Hamas’ declared and public charter calls for the annihilation of Israel and Jews, without distinction of age and gender.
  • Hamas uses fake news, edit old footage, stage video clips and combine it with false statements to blame Israel for everything they can, from bombing hospitals to killing children.

Palestinians

  • Palestinians is what Arab occupants of the Gaza strip and the West Bank (both part of the state of Israel though are autonomous under Israel supervision) refer to themselves. Many just want to live their lives in peace.
  • Many Palestinians commute and work in Israel. In times of peace many tens to hundreds of thousands worked in Israel, and there was frequent travel and commerce between the regions.
    As of lately, before the brutal attack of Hamas, some 20,000 Palestinians had Israeli work permits and commuted daily to work.
  • There was never a Palestinian nation.
  • The British, while ruling the region, referred to the territory as Palestine E”I – the E”I was referring to the Hebrew abbreviation Erets Israel, of the Land of Israel. “Plastine” was adopted from the Romans and loosely can be tracked all the way back Greek writings of Herodotus and even before as a generic name for the area. It has no direct relation to the Arab tribes that resided in parts of the area. In fact, until Israel’s declaration of independence, Jews residing in the area were referred to as “Palestinian Jews”.
  • In 1948 the “United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine”  (approved in 1947) was implemented and at midnight on 14 May 1948, the British Mandate expired.  The next day, 15 May 1948, six Arab nations surrounding Israel attacked Israel and started a war to annihilate Israel. Israel fought back and won capturing 60% of the Arab designated areas, Egypt took control of the Gaza strip, Jordan took control of parts of the West Bank. The tribes and families of Muslims that occupied parts of the region kept the region’s British name and refer to themselves as Palestinians.

The Reality

Since Hamas is made of Palestinian extremist, and intentionally is operating from populated areas, schools and civilian hospitals, and since Hamas is using lies and deception as their SOP, it is not always easy to tell who’s who. Israel is doing all that it can to find Hamas activists, and not harm non-Hamas Palestinians. It is also vetting to the best of it’s ability all Palestinians that apply to work in Israel. 

 

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Partition_Plan_for_Palestine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Arab%E2%80%93Israeli_War
https://www.britannica.com/place/Palestine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas

Added Oct 27 2023

Video Above Source: NBC News – Link

Added Nov 05 2023

I have crossed referenced most of the information, but kept one source link per item to keep it readable. A lot of the sources cross-verify the same information. If you find any information that you can corroborate with facts as wrong, please contact me with the information and facts. Contact Me  Thank you! 

Kidnapped From Israel To Gaza from KidnappedFromIsrael.com

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