A British friend of mine responded to my "status comment" on Facebook. My status read, "Dov: is shocked that Hamas would lie about the number of civilians killed!"

My friend's response was a shocked, "That is your comment?"

As it was someone from the United Kingdom, I thought his reaction deserved a long explanation, because, as we all know, they are missing many vital facts. The following was my attempt to explain my "heartless" status comment.

Do you think I succeeded? Please read and give me your comments.

I see I have got your attention!



I shall explain.

First of all, I am on a side. As in any conflict there are two sides, and I am clearly on one of them. This does not keep me from seeing the viewpoint of both sides, but nonetheless....

I have been shot at from behind children; and the decision as to when to shoot back was very hard.

As a member of one side whose civilian population has been targeted indiscriminately for close to six years (in this specific theater), I am taking a position against the other side, which is Hamas.

Hamas has been firing rockets into Israeli towns in a direct and successful attempt at creating a nightmare for the civilian population. The reason for very low casualties on the Israeli side is not due to Hamas's quest for "proportionate response" to the self-imposed siege. 

Before the Gaza Strip was shut down numerous suicide bombers came from Gaza to more directly and successfully target civilian buses, cafes, malls and pedestrian walkways. Then, the civilian casualties were usually 90-100%. The low casualty numbers in Israel since then is due to millions of dollars spent on quick-response, early warning alarms that gave 15 seconds for well-trained kindergartners to run to the always-open bomb shelter.

As did Hizbullah in 2006, Hamas took on the position of civilian fighters from within civilian lines by firing specifically from highly saturated civilian targets, in full knowledge that the act would demand a direct and immediate response from the Israeli air force and artillery. Rockets were fired from rooftops of homes, courtyards of UNRWA schools, entrances to mosques and from within hospital grounds. The civilians were not allowed to leave, and when they tried to run, they were beaten or, in many cases, shot dead.

I have many friends who served in Gaza during this last campaign and I was privy to some of their experiences. They did not have many gunfights in the street. While going from house to house (looking for armed militants), they came upon entire neighborhoods where they would break into a house (as you do in war) and find the men and, sometimes, the women shot dead. Before any Israeli military arrived. It was either Hamas fighters closing the books on some Fatah members, or maybe someone who actively wanted to leave their house after Hamas members shot from the rooftop.

Israel is aware of the damage done to the civilian population in Gaza and did a lot in order to lessen it, with no help from Hamas. Actions to lessen civilian casualties were taken even to operational failure.

Hamas was playing (as does local terror insurgency) the numbers game; meaning, the more dead on both sides, the greater is their victory. My Facebook status comment was in fact cynical, because of the way the media is "surprised about the inflated numbers given by the Palestinian Health ministry" (at Hamas gunpoint). They inflated the civilian numbers even after they were the ones who in fact put civilians in harm's way. Why are we so surprised that an organization that kills women and children for sport (on both sides) could also lie? If one can kill, then one can certainly lie.

It upsets me because it goes against the rules of engagement to which I abide, as do my friends in uniform. I have lost a number of friends in military situations that could have been dealt with differently, but because of a civilian

Things are not always as they seem.

presence (what a surprise) the situation had to be handled as it was. It upsets me because I have been shot at from behind children; and the decision as to when to shoot back was very hard.

I know what efforts have been taken to lessen the civilian casualties in the past to the direct endangerment and lives of soldiers, and even civilians, on our side.

I watch Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya, BBC and Sky News to see what it looks like, and I admit it does not look good. But as we all know, things are not always as they seem.

I am not depriving you of the right to point fingers and be shocked at what went on in Gaza, I am only showing you where I point mine. And I am as upset about it as you are.