The suffering of Gaza's citizens is a tragic consequence of the misgovernance by Hamas, which has led to their current humanitarian crisis.

Even if Hamas is a fanatical organization, the argument that they need to be eliminated overlooks the fact that the people of Gaza are suffering under dire conditions and have been for generations.

It's indefensible that the status quo of the Palestinian people having no rights has persisted since 1967, being ruled by a government they do not get to vote for or against.

While the destruction in Gaza is terrible, it is a result of the actions taken by Hamas, which the Palestinian people elected to govern them.

Israel is the final decision maker in Gaza, not Hamas, which does not have meaningful control over the region's major issues.

The solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict requires Israel to take their boot off the Palestinians' neck, which is a scary prospect but necessary for peace.

The opportunity for Gaza to become a thriving statelet was squandered by Hamas, which, like the PLO before them, has prioritized militarization over development, and their leadership prioritizes the destruction of Israel over the creation of a Palestinian state, which harms the Palestinians in Gaza.

The creation of the state of Israel involved the transfer of Arabs, which was known to the Zionist project, and this has led to a long-standing occupation that cannot be justified.

The normalization of relations between Gaza and Israel was progressing before October 7th, but that process has now been severely disrupted due to the recent violence.