Time to Break Silence on Gaza Assault

Letter to the Editor, May 10, 2015

The Israeli group Breaking the Silence has just come out with shocking testimonies from Israeli soldiers who served during the assault on Gaza last summer. During 50 days of the assault last summer, more than 2,100 Palestinians in Gaza were killed, the majority of whom were civilians, including more than 500 children.

There was unprecedented destruction of infrastructure leaving well over 100,000 people homeless. More than 10,000 were wounded, including thousands of children many of whom are permanently disabled.

Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran combatants who have served in the Israeli military who have taken it upon themselves to expose the Israeli public to the reality of those who have served in the Occupied Territories.

The testimonies obtained from soldiers serving during the assault on Gaza in 2014, reveal the army’s extreme and indiscriminate use of artillery on civilians and wanton destruction.

Previous reports from such groups as Physicians for Human Rights Israel have indicated clearly that civilians were indiscriminately targeted, including in hospitals and ambulances. Testimonies from soldiers given to Breaking the Silence give further evidence to the extreme criminal actions of the Israeli army last summer.

The silence in North America media on this report is deafening. Even Israeli media has reported it. The suppression of the truth does not serve us well. Breaking the Silence has courageously understood this.

It’s time for the North American media to break its silence.

Miriam Garfinkle

Related Topics: Gaza – Gaza 2014 – Media Coverage/Middle East