Figures to be aware of before demonising the Israeli army in the same way as the Nazis

Seventy thousand phone calls, thirteen million text messages sent, fourteen million voice messages and seven million leaflets distributed. These are just some of the figures illustrating Israel’s efforts whilst at war with Hamas to urge civilians in Gaza to evacuate certain areas for their own safety or to inform them of specific humanitarian evacuation routes.

These figures from the Israeli army’s legal department might well be believed, given that we accept the anonymous sources cited in “Naza”, the film that won an award at the Venice Film Festival, where it received the longest round of applause in the festival’s history. If those figures are genuine, it means that never before in the history of warfare has an army gone to such lengths to save civilians on the opposing side.

This is also explained by Colonel “A.”, a pilot with the Israeli Air Force’s 101st Squadron, who has taken part in numerous operations on multiple fronts and who, until a year ago, commanded the Ramat David airbase.

Following “Naza”, the pilot decided to respond in Israel’s leading newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth. “As a pilot, I am the fourth stage of that process,” he said. “Drones, helicopters and surveillance aircraft scan the area before an attack to establish whether there are people nearby. If something doesn’t add up, I have discretion. Sometimes you change the size of the bomb. Sometimes you use a ‘roof strike’ to get people out of the building before the strike. A huge amount of time is spent trying to ensure that no one gets hurt.”

In recent days, the Israeli army attempted to kill the terrorist who took part in the abduction of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas from the Nir Oz kibbutz during the massacre on 7 October. However, the IDF used less-lethal ammunition, so the terrorist was only wounded. During the approval process for the targeted killing in the Gaza Strip, it emerged that the terrorist was near a tent where a Gazan family with their children were staying. For this reason, Israel chose ammunition sufficient to wound him, but not to kill him. Had Israel used heavier ammunition, the Palestinian family in the tent would also have been hit.

The Mujahideen Brigades, the group responsible for the abduction of the three members of the Bibas family, have split from Fatah and, on 7 October, were part of the joint operation led by Hamas. In April 2025, Israel killed Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad, a member of the group’s military council and commander of its intelligence apparatus, identified as the man who orchestrated the kidnapping of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir and was also directly involved in their brutal murder. On 7 October, the Bibas family were at home in the kibbutz Nir Oz. Yarden was abducted to Gaza while wounded, after going out to defend his loved ones with his own pistol. Shortly afterwards, the terrorists stormed the house, killed the family dog, Tonto, and abducted Shiri, Ariel and Kfir. The video of Shiri trying to protect her two children with her arms has become a symbol of 7 October. On the same day, Hamas terrorists also killed Shiri’s parents, Margit and Yossi Silberman. After 484 days of a widespread public campaign for their release, Yarden was freed as part of the second hostage deal on 1 February 2025. Nineteen days later, the official announcement came that Shiri, Ariel and Kfir had been strangled by the terrorists in Gaza.

A few weeks ago, Ariel Bibas was due to celebrate his seventh birthday. In the eyes of those cheering “Naza” on in Venice, perhaps they are the collateral damage of a war of liberation and decolonisation.