LETTER: Is Hamas the real enemy?

Nicholas Woode-Smith’s letter in response to Mia Swart’s column demands a reply (“Hamas the real enemy”, April 17). Sadly, Israel was found asleep at the wheel when attacked by Hamas on October 7. Many border guards were literally shot dead in their beds.

This lapse of security came despite warnings that were ignored by the military, which believed Hamas lacked the capability. In short, hubris and complacency were their downfall. It is analogous to the US’s 9/11, where the evidence was in plain sight but ignored.

Woode-Smith claims Israel is precise in its targeting of Hamas. Perhaps he can explain how this precision has destroyed 60% of all buildings and infrastructure, including hospitals, killed 34,000 people with 12,000 bombs dropped on an area half the size of Madrid.

Israel rightly demands the return of the 130 hostages being held by Hamas, claiming this is against the rules of war. It may be right, but what about the deaths of 450 West Bank Palestinians and arrest of more than 7,000 since October 7, many detained for long periods without trial.

Many of these “offences” are committed by Palestinians trying to protect their homes from illegal Jewish settlers bearing automatic weapons.

The simple truth is that Israel has imposed a police state on Palestinians for decades and is now outraged when they have the audacity to fight back. South Africans who lived through the apartheid years should understand this better than most.  

Bernard Benson
Parklands

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