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Israel's Aid to Gaza Is Historically Unprecedented

(X) Maj. (ret.) John Spencer - There is no historical precedent for a military providing the level of direct aid to an enemy population that Israel has provided to Gaza. This aid has taken place while the war is ongoing; while the enemy continues to control territory; and while that enemy is still fighting, launching attacks, and holding hostages. Israel is delivering fuel, food, medicine, and water into territory still under the command of the very group that murdered its civilians on Oct. 7, that continues to fire rockets into Israeli towns, and that openly declares it will repeat those atrocities again and again. In most wars throughout history, the fighting side does not provide relief to the enemy's population. In World War II, the Allies provided no aid to German or Japanese civilians while those governments were still fighting and in control of their territory. In Vietnam, the U.S. never delivered humanitarian assistance to North Vietnamese or Viet Cong-held areas. It is easy to criticize Israel for the humanitarian costs of its war. It is much harder to hold Hamas accountable for embedding its fighters in schools, hospitals, and civilian neighborhoods. And harder still to acknowledge when a military is doing something not just legal, but extraordinary. No military in modern history has delivered more aid to an enemy population during active war than the Israel Defense Forces have to Gaza. The writer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point.
2025-07-29 00:00:00
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