Dear Sir,

We are writing to express our concerns regarding Jonathan Bell’s article of October 14, titled "Supporters of Israel and Palestine welcome end to war". While the piece begins with an optimistic quote from the Jewish Community of Bermuda, we believe it subsequently presents a skewed perspective on the conflict.

Regarding the reported death toll in Gaza, recent figures suggest that a significant portion of the reported deaths were Hamas militants. The Israel Defence Forces took steps to warn civilians of impending strikes, including dropping flyers and making phone calls to alert residents to evacuate. This raises questions about responsibility for civilian casualties, especially considering Hamas’s tactics of embedding military infrastructure within civilian areas and using human shields.

We would appreciate it if you could clarify the source of the claim that 70,000 people, many of whom are women and children, were killed. According to some reports, the civilian casualty numbers are not entirely accurate. Recently, US president Donald Trump said that 58,000 were Hamas combatants. This suggests that some 86 per cent of the fatalities were combatants, marking what the President described as “the lowest proportion of civilian casualties in any war in history”. Just let that sink in.

The article also mentions comments from Dennis Lister, the Speaker of the House, concerning the Israeli Government’s acknowledgement of widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure. However, it is important to recognise that Hamas’s actions, such as hostage-taking and using civilians as human shields, violate international humanitarian law.

We agree that lasting peace requires justice and accountability. Therefore, it is essential to hold all parties responsible for their actions. We believe Hamas should be held accountable for its role in the conflict, including its use of human shields and attacks on civilians.

Regarding the Peace Coalition’s claims, we would like to see evidence supporting their assertions. We also find it concerning that some groups focus solely on Israel’s actions while ignoring the actions of other involved parties.

Sir, the BCJA remains concerned about Hamas’s actions and human rights record. Significantly, Moumen al-Natour, a Gazan-based lawyer and activist, wrote about his experiences as a political prisoner of Hamas and the dangers of Hamas regaining power. Today, his family’s fear of reprisals is understandable, given Hamas’s history of violence and persecution.

For these reasons and more, we agree that Gaza must be free — but from its tyrannical and barbaric terror overlords, not from any so-called Israeli occupation. Hamas’s actions, including the recent spate of public executions of its political opponents who were even thrown off roofs in past years, and persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals, are reprehensible.

Fittingly, the vexing question arises: where are the “Free Palestine” apologists marching to repudiate extrajudicial killings and documented cases of famine and genocide elsewhere? The alarm about this double standard was raised by comedian and HBO host Bill Maher. Hypocritically, it’s only news if the Jews are involved.

Thank you for considering our perspective.

BERMUDA CHRISTIAN-JEWISH ALLIANCE

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