Hamas is a genocidal terrorist group committed to the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews. Hamas was founded in Gaza in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement dedicated to promoting Islamist extremism worldwide. They are a designated terrorist group in several countries, including the US, EU, Canada, Japan, Australia, Israel, and others. They are responsible for decades of violent terror attacks against Israeli civilians, including suicide bombings, stabbings, and shootings. They have also launched over 30,000 rockets into Israeli towns and cities. Their goals are outlined in their founding charter, which combines antisemitic conspiracy theories with the most toxic and hateful interpretations of Islamic theology.

No. Applying the framework of “colonialism” or “settler-colonialism” to Jews in Israel is dehumanizing and inaccurate. Israel is the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people, and this narrative erases 3,000 years of their history and identity. Historical and archeological records prove that Jews developed a unique civilization in this region over 3,000 years ago, and they have maintained deep ties to it ever since. Calling Jews living in their own homeland “colonizers” is part of an effort to dehumanize them, strip away their rights, and justify a horrific massacre by Hamas. No one can “colonize” their own home.

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No. Israel does not “control” Gaza. Israel withdrew every Israeli soldier and civilian from Gaza in 2005. This was a unilateral withdrawal, meaning Israel took this step without first signing a peace agreement with the Palestinians. After winning the Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, Hamas violently took over Gaza from the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 2007. They have ruled Gaza ever since, and as a result terrorists have fired over 30,000 rockets at Israel from the territory, including over 13,000 since Oct. 7, 2023.

In response, both Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade to prevent weapons from entering Gaza. Despite ongoing threats from Hamas and other terror groups, Israel delivered thousands of tons of food, water, medicine, aid, and other materials to the territory every single week for years before the Hamas massacre on October 7th. Palestinian civilians in Gaza have still suffered tremendous hardships, mainly due to hostilities between Hamas and Israel. However, claiming that Israel “controls” Gaza means shielding the Hamas government from any accountability for the wellbeing of the people under its rule.

There are no Israeli policies or actions that could possibly justify intentionally murdering whole families, taking toddlers and the elderly hostage, or massacring hundreds of people at a music festival.

Israel (and Egypt) put a blockade in place to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas, after it violently took control of Gaza in 2007. Hamas could have ended the blockade at any point since then by stopping its terrorism against Israeli civilians, accepting Israel’s existence, and negotiating peace. If Hamas truly cared about the well-being of Palestinians, it would take these steps without hesitation.

Tragically, Hamas has chosen endless war against Israel instead of building a better future for their people. This is because Hamas does not exist to “resist the occupation” or help Palestinians achieve justice and peace. Their goals are clear; murder Jews, destroy Israel, and replace it with a brutally oppressive regime of religious supremacy. The current leader of Hamas in Gaza has said their goal is to, “wipe out Israel” and threatened to, “take down the border and tear out their hearts from their bodies.”

Hamas also gets massive funding and support from Iran’s regime - which regularly threatens Israel with annihilation. A major short term goal of this war for Hamas and their Iranian sponsors is reportedly to prevent Israel from making peace with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.

The death of every Palestinian civilian in Gaza is a tragedy. There is no question that Palestinians have suffered immensely from violence between Hamas and Israel. However, there is a huge moral difference between the two sides of this conflict.

Hamas invaded Israel and massacred innocent people on purpose. In contrast, numerous legal and military experts have documented that Israel does not intentionally target civilians and goes beyond what the law requires by warning civilians before striking military targets.

The main reason why innocent Palestinians are still tragically killed and wounded during Israeli military operations is that Hamas and its terrorist allies have militarized Palestinian cities and neighborhoods. Terrorists fire rockets into Israel from crowded civilian areas in Gaza and embed military infrastructure in homes, schools, and hospitals. They place the people of Gaza directly in harm's way, committing war crimes against both Israelis and Palestinians. In some cases, terrorist rockets from Gaza also misfire and kill Palestinian civilians.

The only way to prevent these tragedies is for Hamas and other terrorist groups to put down their weapons, stop attacking Israeli civilians, and negotiate peace.

Both Israelis and Palestinians have suffered immensely from the current Hamas-Israel War and the broader conflict. However, accusations of “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” are dehumanizing and false.

The word “genocide” was coined in 1944 to describe the Nazi Holocaust - an industrial scale mass murder of 6 million Jews. In contrast, four times more people have been killed during the current Syrian Civil War than on both sides of the entire Arab–Israeli conflict since 1920. Both the Israeli and Palestinian populations have grown by millions since the conflict began.

The current war began with Hamas brutally massacring Israeli civilians. Hamas is a terrorist group driven by genocidal racism (see quotes below), and its leaders have repeatedly expressed their support for genocide and ethnic cleansing against Jews. However, Israel has been able to prevent Hamas from succeeding in these horrific goals.

Israel's response to the Hamas massacre has been to strike terrorists, while warning Palestinian civilians to stay away from military targets and temporarily evacuate to safer areas in southern Gaza. Numerous legal and military experts have documented that Israel does not intentionally target civilians and often goes beyond what the law requires to avoid harming them.

Tragically, Palestinians in Gaza are still suffering immensely from this war. The main reason why innocent civilians are killed and wounded during Israeli military operations is that Hamas and its terrorist allies have militarized Palestinian cities and neighborhoods. Terrorists fire rockets into Israel from crowded civilian areas in Gaza and embed military infrastructure in homes, schools, and hospitals. They place the people of Gaza directly in harm's way and urge them to ignore Israeli warnings, committing war crimes against both Israelis and Palestinians. In some cases, terrorist rockets from Gaza also misfire and kill Palestinian civilians.

While this war is horrific for civilians, Israel has repeatedly stated that it is fighting against Hamas and not intentionally targeting innocent people in Gaza. There is no comparison between Israeli strikes against terrorists and an effort to eradicate an entire ethnic group through genocide. Similarly, there is no comparison between encouraging civilians to temporarily evacuate part of Gaza for their safety on the one hand, and ethnic cleansing on the other. Those who use these terms to slander and dehumanize Israelis are only fueling more hatred and conflict.

No. The “imbalance of power” narrative is misleading and harmful. Anyone who wants safety, freedom, and dignity for all people in the region should be thankful that Israel has more power than Hamas. The only reason Hamas hasn't succeeded in murdering millions of Israelis is because Israel has the power to stop them. If Israel had less power, even more innocent people would be dying right now.

Hamas is a terrorist organization driven by genocidal racism against Jews. Its goal is not to “resist the occupation” but to kill Jews, destroy Israel, and replace it with a brutal regime of religious supremacy. The group rules Gaza with an iron fist. It uses its power to massacre Israeli civilians and oppress Palestinians under its control. Hamas is also funded and supported by at least three powerful governments: Iran, Qatar, and Turkey. None of them have shown any interest in changing the status quo, and Iran's regime frequently threatens Israel with destruction.

Hamas could choose to end this conflict once and for all by stopping all violence against Israeli civilians, accepting Israel's existence, and negotiating peace. If the group truly wanted a better future for Palestinians, that's what it would do with its power. Unfortunately, Israel can't make Hamas choose life over endless war, destruction, and death. If Israelis had the power to do that, the conflict would have been over a long time ago. There is no easy solution to this horrible situation. However this much is clear: one-sided approaches that blame Israel, try to strip away its power, and shield Hamas from accountability will only fuel more suffering and conflict. Those who want safety, freedom, and dignity for all Israelis and Palestinians should not use the “imbalance of power” to empower Hamas or justify its massacre of Israeli civilians.

No. Some conspiracy theories suggest that Israel, the US, or the European Union want control of Gaza’s oil resources. This is untrue. The war started in response to the horrific atrocities Hamas committed on October 7th. Here are some important things to know:

• Israel approved an agreement in June 2023 with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to start developing Gaza Marine, an oil field off the coast of Gaza estimated to contain 1 trillion cubic feet of gas. This agreement would see EGAS, an Egyptian gas company, develop the site in partnership with the PA. The project was hailed by Israel’s government as an important step toward improving the PA’s economy and maintaining regional security.

• Israel already has vast energy reserves. Israel’s gas fields include Tamar (10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas), Leviathan (22 trillion cubic feet of natural gas), Karish & Tanin (2.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas) and the recently discovered Katlan/Olympus field (estimated 68 billion cubic meters of natural gas). The estimated reserves at Gaza Marine are a fraction of what Israel already has. For example, Gaza Marine would produce around 2% of what Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan fields already produce.

• This war has hurt Israel’s oil production. Production at Israel’s Tamar gas field was shut down from October 9 to November 14 because it is within range of Hamas rockets. Before the shutdown, Tamar provided 70% of Israel’s energy needs.

• Israel recently granted 12 licenses allowing companies to explore natural gas resources off Israel’s coast. These are for exploration next to Israel’s existing gas field, Leviathan, not near Gaza Marine.

A day after the Hamas massacre on October 7, the Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon began launching rockets and anti-tank missiles at civilian sites in northern Israel causing the displacement of 80,000 Israelis from their homes in 40 cities and towns. Hezbollah has fired over 2,000 rockets into northern Israel causing the deaths of dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians.

In 2006, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1701. It called for a ceasefire in the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, the withdrawal of Hezbollah’s forces from southern Lebanon to be replaced by Lebanese forces, the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the international border and the Litani River and the strengthening of UN peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL).

Israel withdrew its forces behind the international border. However, in violation of Resolution 1701, Hezbollah did not withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon. Rather, it has since become more entrenched, having built up its forces including innumerable missile launching sites within villages in 26 military zones throughout southern Lebanon.

The Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad is closely allied with Iran’s regime, which has repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction. During the Syrian Civil War (2011-present) Iranian forces intervened to support Assad as he massacred his own citizens. An estimated 580,000 – 614,000 Syrians have been killed in the fighting. Iran has provided training, combat troops and logistical, technical, and financial support. Iran also uses Syrian territory to ship weapons to its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Iranian government has worked to expand its influence and promote its brand of religious extremism throughout the Middle East. One of the regime’s strategic objectives is to keep Syria and Lebanon under its influence and control. Iran’s military presence in Syria, support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, and sponsorship of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza are all part of a grand strategy of encircling Israel with an “axis of resistance.”

As such, Iran has created a major strategic threat to Israel in both Syria and Lebanon. Israel has launched airstrikes in Syria targeting Iranian military sites and convoys carrying arms into Lebanon for Hezbollah. The goal is to decrease the threat of Iranian forces and proxies in these regions.

The Houthis are a Shi’ite Muslim sect in Yemen. Their official slogan is anti-American and antisemitic: “God is great, death to the U.S., death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam.” Iran’s regime has armed the Houthis for years and North Korea also supplies the Houthis with advanced weapons. The Houthis and Iranian regime have a common enemy – Saudi Arabia. Reuters reports: “The Revolutionary Guards have been helping the Houthis with military training (on advanced weapons). A group of Houthi fighters were in Iran last month and were trained in an IRGC base in central Iran to get familiar with the new technology and the use of missiles." The Houthis and Saudis have been fighting a bloody war since 2015 that has killed nearly 400,000 people. Similar to Hamas, the Houthis recruit child soldiers and engage in hostage-taking. During the October 7th War, the Houthis have launched missile attacks targeting southern Israel and ships in the Red Sea that they claim are linked to Israel. However, most of the ships the Houthis have attacked, including one they hijacked, are not Israeli. “Commanders from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group are on the ground in Yemen helping to direct and oversee Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, four regional and two Iranian sources told Reuters.” Houthi terrorism in the Red Sea violates international law and harms the global economy, with shipping companies being forced to take longer and more costly routes going around Africa. As a result, an international coalition led by the United States has begun military operations to protect ships in the region and target military sites the Houthis are using to launch attacks.

The numbers tell a very different story.

• The IDF has killed an estimated 12,000 Hamas terrorists.

• The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claims over 29,000 deaths in Gaza, without distinguishing between civilians and combatant deaths. Nor does Hamas count the civilians killed by 10-20% of Hamas rockets that fail and fall into Gaza. For Hamas all Gazan casualties are civilians, all Israeli casualties are soldiers.

According to John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, historical comparisons are difficult to make as they “are often poorly cited, the data used inaccurate, and crucial context left out.”

In the Israel-Hamas war “The scale and context of an enemy [Hamas] purposely entrenched in densely populated urban areas, as well as the presence of tunnels, hostages, rockets, attackers that follow the laws of war while defenders purposely do not, and proximity between the frontlines and the home front, there is basically no historical comparison for this war.”

Spencer describes how the IDF has faced over 30,000 Hamas terrorists “in over 400 miles of defensive and offensive tunnels embedded in and under civilian areas, populations and protected sites such as hospitals, mosques, schools, and United Nations facilities across multiple cities” in a strategy is to use Palestinian civilians as human shields, because their goal is not to defeat Israel's military or to hold terrain; it is far more sinister and medieval—to use the death and suffering of Palestinian civilians to rally international support to their cause and demand that Israel halt their war.”

(Read John Spencer’s full article: “Memo to the 'Experts': Stop Comparing Israel's War in Gaza to Anything. It Has No Precedent”)

In the shock and confusion of the Hamas October 7 massacre IDF units fought the Hamas terrorists in an improvised and uncoordinated defense. Israeli media has been covering a few occurrences of “friendly fire” incidents. An estimated 13 Israeli civilians are believed to have been killed in Kibbutz Be’eri by this friendly fire. The incident has received widespread coverage in the Israeli media, and the IDF is currently investigating this tragedy.

Cynically, Hamas and its supporters on social media have latched onto this tragic aspect of October 7 to spin conspiracy theories claiming Israel is behind the October 7 massacres. This is disinformation, invented to deny Hamas’s atrocities and demonize Israel.

Education is critical to identify misinformation, bias, and anti-Israel slander. Misinformation about Israel is unfortunately rampant during times of conflict. Much of this propaganda is amplified by powerful dictatorships such as Iran (the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism). The purpose of social media slogans that promote misinformation and false claims is not to uphold the rights of Palestinians to live in freedom and dignity. It is to make it harder for Israel to defend itself, strip away Jewish rights to self-determination, and end Israel's existence. This is far from the first time that propagandists around the world have aided Hamas terrorists by twisting reality and manufacturing narratives that demonize and blame Israel alone for the conflict. There are several steps you can take:

• Look critically at your sources. Is your information from a news outlet with reporters based in Israel or is this a post from a social media influencer?

• Look at where news articles get their information and the language they use. Is the article or post referring to Hamas “fighters” or “militants” instead of “terrorists?” Do they leave out that the Ministry of Health in Gaza is run by Hamas?

• Think critically about how issues are being presented. Are there broad or dehumanizing statements vilifying entire groups of people based on their nationality, religion, or ethnicity?

• Stay informed. Knowing the facts helps you identify misinformation and bias when you see it. Follow @StandWithUs to stay up-to-date on the latest news and resources to help you understand what is going on.

• See our Guide to Factchecking for more tips.

BACKGROUND

• Israel had a ceasefire with Hamas on October 6. Then came the Hamas invasion and mass murder, rape, and kidnapping of Israelis on October 7 leaving 1,200 dead, 250 taken hostage and nearly 15,000 wounded.

• Hamas has repeatedly broken numerous ceasefires with Israel, sparking wars in 2008, 2012, 2014, 2021and on October 7. Hamas has not given any reason to trust they will honor yet another ceasefire.

• Hamas is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the United States, EU, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and others.

• Since October 7 Israel has proposed a number of ceasefires to free hostages that Hamas has rejected.

• In November Israel and Hamas did agree to a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages. That ceasefire lasted 7 days but was broken by Hamas and fighting resumed.

• Hamas’s call for a permanent ceasefire is strategic, not humanitarian. Such a ceasefire would leave Hamas intact militarily and in control of Gaza allowing Hamas to regroup, recruit, rearm and redeploy its forces. This is a non-starter for Israel given the magnitude of the October 7 Hamas atrocities.

• Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s strategy is for Hamas to emerge from fighting after the war, declare a historic victory by outlasting the IDF, and to claim leadership of the Palestinian national cause replacing the Palestinian Authority, led by Hamas-rival Fateh. This would be a strategic victory for the radical Islamist forces in the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, all supported by Iran.

• Hamas is attempting to return to northern Gaza reestablish its military and civil presence there while engaging directly with Israeli forces. This indicates Hamas’s intention to regain full control over Gaza. After Oct 7 this is a non-starter for Israel.

TIMELINE of CEASEFIRES and CEASEFIRE ATTEMPTS

• November 21, 2023: The Israeli government voted to approve a deal with Hamas (mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S.) to exchange Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages.

• November 24: The ceasefire came into effect.

  • Aid trucks immediately began entering Gaza through the Rafah Border Crossing.

  • 81 Israeli women and children were released from Hamas captivity, along with one Russian-Israeli man released at Putin’s request.

  • 23 hostages from Thailand and one from the Philippines were also released.

  • Over 230 Palestinian prisoners convicted or accused of terrorist offenses were released by Israel.

  • In total, 121 hostages have returned thus far to Israel and 11 bodies of hostages killed by Hamas.

• December 1: Fighting resumed after Hamas violated terms of the temporary ceasefire deal with Israel, launched a rocket at Israel, and took credit for the brutal murder of three civilians in Jerusalem the previous day.

• December 20: Hamas rejected Israel's proposal to stop fighting for one week in exchange for hostages, asserting that the release of Israeli hostages would not be considered until a permanent ceasefire was established. (Wall Street Journal)

• January 22, 2024: Israel approved a plan coordinated by Egyptian and Qatari negotiators that could see the release of over 130 hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire of up to two months. (New York Post)

• January 31: Egypt, the United States, and Israel proposed a three-stage agreement after talks in Paris. The January 31 Paris proposal did not include an end to the war. Hamas demanded the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and discussions on the end of the war in exchanged of the release all Israeli hostages over a four-month period. Israel rejected the Hamas counterproposal as it would leave Hamas intact militarily and still ruling Gaza. Israel did not rule out the possibility of further negotiations.

• February 3: Media reports that internal disagreements among Hamas leadership has prevented Hamas from making a decision on a ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement. (Wall Street Journal)

• February 29: Negotiators from Israel, United States, Qatar have been meeting in Paris trying to agree on a ceasefire that would see a forty-day halt in fighting starting on March 10, the onset of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Israeli hostages would be released in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners. Aid going into Gaza would increase, including fuel and building materials. Palestinian women and children would be allowed to return to northern Gaza. (The Guardian)

PREVIOUS CEASEFIRES BROKEN BY HAMAS

• Hamas launched several wars against Israel from Gaza in 2008, 2012, 2014, 2021, and the October 7 attacks.

• Each of those wars were sparked by Hamas breaking previous ceasefire agreements with Israel by firing thousands of rockets toward Israeli villages, towns and cities. This also included attempts to invade Israel’s border and murder Israeli civilians.