Can There Be Such a Thing as Humanity in War?

On February 24, 2022, the world rose in uproar when Russia invaded Ukraine. The international community rallied, offering support, aid, and solidarity. Social media was filled with fundraisers and donation drives for weeks and months. Yet while those efforts eventually faded, the war did not. By early this year, the conflict had displaced roughly 16 million Ukrainians—8 million internally and another 8 million forced to flee.

The United Nations reported that by September 2023, around 10,000 Ukrainian civilians had been killed since the invasion began. That number continues to climb. My intention was not to write about Ukraine, but about a question that has occupied me ever since Israel began what appears to be relentless attacks on Gaza: Is there such a thing as humanity in war?

As days turned into weeks, then months, and now over a year, the world seemed to lose interest in Ukraine and its suffering. Humanity, it seems, has a short attention span for war. Or perhaps humanity itself recedes, almost imperceptibly, under its weight.

Then came October 7, 2023. Hamas attacked Israel, killing over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals and taking about 240 hostages. While the history of the Gaza conflict is undeniably complex, I was perplexed by the voices that supported Hamas while blaming Israel. I was especially struck by those who criticized Israel for counterattacking. What should Israel have done—in the face of those killings and abductions—ask that it not happen again, wait for the hostages to return, and hope for the best?

It is horrific that, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, roughly 15,000 Palestinians—including about 6,000 children—have been killed since October 7. I cannot help but wonder whether this outcome was precisely what Hamas anticipated. It is difficult to believe the organization did not expect a fierce Israeli response. If so, is Hamas not also culpable for the deaths of Palestinians, having been willing to accept massive civilian casualties as collateral damage in provoking Israel or seeking leverage for prisoner exchanges?

Yet none of this justifies the killing of even a single person—by Hamas or by Israel. No provocation, no political aim, no strategic calculation can justify the taking of innocent lives. Whatever the rationale, the outcome remains the same: lives taken, irreversibly.

War, by design and intent, cannot be fought humanely. No cause, however noble it may appear, can justify the act of killing another human being. War is constructed to harm, to destroy, to break. Violence is not a tragic byproduct—it is the mechanism.

I had hoped the truce between Israel and Hamas would extend into weeks, months, even years. Instead, Israel’s attacks seem to have grown even more intense and indiscriminate, their scale difficult to reconcile with restraint. Hamas provoked, and Israel is now seeking to reshape Gaza by eliminating Hamas—perhaps to secure its nation and prevent another October 7. Can we blame them for wanting to protect their people?

But at the cost of more than 15,000 Palestinian lives? The question lingers, unanswered.

As long as Israel continues its assault on Gaza, there can be no humanity in this conflict. Rather than searching for an impossible “humane war,” we should be seeking peace through the withdrawal of external support and, if necessary, sanctions. Military and financial aid to the Israeli government must be halted unless it ceases its advance into Gaza, withdraws, and remains within its borders. Vigilance and security for Israel are understandable and should be supported—but not at the expense of civilian lives caught within its reach, even in response to a horrific provocation.

War may extinguish humanity, but our policies and actions can end the war.

_____

More essays:

And Just Like That, It Isn’t Easy Being Us

Donald Trump and His 74 Million American Voters

Are We Abusing Self-Care?

Because We Don’t Live in a Perfect World

Breaking of Invisible Minorities

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