On 7th October, a significant military operation led by Hamas took place against Israel. Initial reports suggested a large-scale massacre of Israeli civilians. However, recent data from the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz indicates that nearly half of the Israelis killed were combatants, either soldiers or police.
Western media had previously reported that Hamas killed around 1,400 Israeli civilians during this attack. This narrative contributed to heightened emotions and paved the way for Israel’s subsequent actions in the Gaza Strip. However, Haaretz’s data, which covers about half of the reported Israeli death toll, shows that 48.4% of the casualties were soldiers or police officers. Furthermore, no recorded deaths of children under three years old have been reported, challenging the narrative that very young children were primary targets.
In contrast, the Palestinian casualties from Israeli actions in the following two weeks were significantly higher. Over 5,791 Palestinians were killed, including 2,360 children and 1,292 women, with more than 18,000 injured.
The Hamas-led operation, named Al-Aqsa Flood, began with a dawn raid. Approximately 1,500 Palestinian fighters crossed the Gaza-Israel separation barrier. This number included fighters from other factions and some unaffiliated Palestinians. The day was marked by intense battles, with many videos emerging on social media showing the conflict’s various aspects.
There were also allegations of atrocities committed by Hamas, including claims of sexual violence against Israeli women and beheadings. However, as of now, there is no credible evidence supporting these claims.
Hamas officials have stated that their primary objectives were to target the Israeli military and to capture Israeli prisoners for potential exchanges. Since the start of the conflict, Israel has detained over 1,200 Palestinians in the West Bank.
Emerging reports suggest that Israeli forces might have mistakenly targeted their own citizens in the chaos. There have been instances of friendly fire, where Israelis were killed by their own troops.
Given the conflicting narratives and the fog of war, an independent, international investigation is deemed essential. However, it remains uncertain if such an investigation will be agreed upon by all parties involved. Meanwhile, Palestinian civilians continue to face challenges, with many attributing the Israeli response to the initial, possibly exaggerated, reports of Hamas’s actions on 7th October.