Jon Snow Video on Israel’s Invasion

and the Children in Gaza

On July 29th, 2014, Yahoo published a statement by ITN reporter Jon Snow, who spoke about the conditions facing the children in Gaza as the war between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate. He speaks about a number of issues related to the conflict. Below I have discussed the video, with analysis regarding Snow’s comments regarding this most recent Israeli invasion into the Gaza Strip.

Here are some of the points of note from his discussion:

The issues with fighting a war in a dense area where civilians are living. Snow speaks about the Israeli military’s strikes in and throughout Gaza, and the impact that this can have on children being hit. This is important because one must keep in mind that just because a battle or conflict is occurring in an area where civilians might be does in no way justify any civilian casualties. The military must do everything in its power to ensure civilian lives are protected. Some have been critical of the Israeli government, particularly since so many of those killed have actually been non-combatants. In fact, the high civilian death toll is quite alarming, and may suggest the possibility that war crimes have been committed. The counterargument by some seems to be that “Hamas is hiding in civilian areas.” And of course any proven use of human shields in any conflict is a crime, and investigations of Hamas’ actions should also be examined. However, we must also keep in mind that targeting high civilian populations is surely a concern when speaking of ideas of just war. Many of the stories of children being killed on beaches and elsewhere are very alarming, and add to the skepticism by many that the military is doing all it can to avoid civilian casualties.

The al-Shifa Hospital: He speaks about meeting children who were struck by shrapnel or other effects of the Israeli strikes on Gaza. He says that the images of the children are “the essence of what is going on in Gaza.”In his discussions with doctors, as of the time of his comments, he stated that 1310 children were hurt, and 166 killed by the Israeli military strikes. These are truly horrific numbers, and force us as an international global community to investigate and hold military actors accountable for these killings through international courts such as the International Criminal Court.

He also points out Hamas’ actions: He also calls out Hamas’ rocket strikes in Israel. This is important, because Hamas indiscriminate rocket attacks towards Israelis in Israel should also be labelled as a war crime. In his discussion he also speaks about the Iron Dome system–a sophisticated and highly complex defense protection system that can counter rocket attacks launched into Israel, and the levels of protection regarding the citizens in Israel compared to those in Gaza.

Responsibility: He also argues that there is some responsibility on various actors in the international community because of the lack of willingness, he says, for an end to this situation. He pleas for the international community–and in this the viewer of the link–to help in calling for an end to what is happening in Gaza.

Here is the link to Jon Snow’s comments.