Why Hamas’ brutality must be shown

After airing a report on the death and destruction in Kfar Aza on Saturday, which included grisly pictures of gutted homes and reports of desecrated bodies, Channel 12 anchor Danny Kushmaro explained why those images were shown.

“We are showing these pictures to demonstrate what is happening here on the ground, in order to show how strong Israel’s reaction needs to be,” he said on Wednesday night. “This is not to hurt morale, but rather to encourage the morale [and show] that there is a need to respond to the atrocities that took place here.”

In other words, it is crucial for the Israeli public to grasp the inhuman cruelty perpetuated by Hamas terrorists to understand why Israel needs to respond with utmost ferocity and all its power against the terrorist organization in Gaza.

While Kushmaro’s point is valid, it is not the Israelis who need to be convinced that it is justified for the IDF to unleash its full force to defeat Hamas.

Proof that Israelis need no convincing can be seen in the unprecedented response to the call-up of reserves, in the scores of reservists flying home from abroad to join their units, in stories of people not called up for duty showing up at their bases only to be turned away, because of a lack of arms for all those who want to bear them.

Motivation to fight the enemy is not Israel’s problem, and gruesome footage is unnecessary to convince the Israeli public of the justification for this war.

The problem is not here; rather it is abroad.

The problem is abroad

Even then, it is more of a potential problem than an acute one right now. The US administration is leading the Western world in its full-throttled support for Israel to act powerfully and decisively against Hamas.

Yet, inevitably, as casualties mount inside the Gaza Strip, including civilian casualties, there will be calls for Israel to act “proportionally.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived on Thursday and, after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, gave a strong, emotional statement of US support that began with the words, “I come before you not only as the United States Secretary of State, but also as a Jew.”

Blinken related briefly his family’s experience in the Holocaust, and reiterated that the US stands squarely behind Israel, is providing it with supplies, and recognizes fully its right to defend itself.

“No country can or would tolerate the slaughter of its citizens – or simply return to the conditions that allowed it to take place. Israel has the right – indeed, the obligation – to defend itself and to ensure that this never happens again,” he said.

Then he added that “how Israel does this matters.” Blinken said that the way democracies wage war is what distinguishes them from terrorists. “That’s why it’s so important to take every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians,” he said.

In other words, do what you need to do, we stand by you and will support you, but be careful.

As the IDF continues to hit targets inside Gaza, it is only a matter of time before those in the world much less friendly than the US and Blinken will slam Israel for a “disproportionate” response.

This is why grisly footage is unfortunately necessary – to remind the world of the barbarism that Israel just experienced.

On Thursday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during a video call with 31 NATO counterparts, showed uncensored footage of Hamas’s atrocities.

“I walked from house to house and saw the bodies of our pioneers, the Holocaust survivors, burned alive,” he said. “Children were tied up and shot. Yes, I repeat – children tied up and shot. Young girls were raped violently, and kidnapped or killed. They were dragged to Gaza, to the sound of cheering, while blood was dripping down their legs. A peace music festival, with 3,000 young people, became a bloodbath” – with more than 260 bodies recovered from the scene.

Why the uncensored footage, and the explicit details? To remind the world of what Israel is up against and why it must use all its power to eradicate Hamas. There are already some voices denying that Hamas committed any atrocities, and those voices will grow in days to come.

It is necessary to get the details – and, as painful as it is – even the images of what happened out to the world, so that people won’t preach proportionality to Israel. Because what, for instance, is a proportionate response to families burned alive and babies beheaded?