The world’s focus on the Middle East has seemingly shifted back to the Israel-Hamas war following the conflict with Iran that culminated in the historic strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities. For more than 20 months, Israel has operated in Gaza following Hamas’ brutal surprise attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been heavily scrutinized over their handling of the war, particularly when it comes to damage to civilian areas and the distribution of humanitarian aid. However, Ret. British Col. Richard Kemp told Fox News Digital that Israel is doing everything it can to avoid civilian casualties whenever possible. Kemp, who recently returned from a trip to Israel and Gaza, said that the war has been “very tough” as Hamas continues to embed itself among the civilian population or in tunnels.
ISRAEL ACCEPTS TRUMP-LED CEASEFIRE PLAN THAT COULD END GAZA WAR WITHIN 60 DAYS
“In my view, the IDF have been conducting it very effectively,” Kemp said. “They’ve killed huge numbers of Hamas terrorists. They’ve destroyed a lot of Hamas’ infrastructure, including some of the tunnels, but they’ve got a long way to go yet. The fight’s not over yet.”
In Kemp’s assessment, the fighting in Gaza will continue until Israel defeats Hamas, which becomes a difficult task for an army actively avoiding civilian casualties, something the former British officer said he witnessed “personally.”
TERROR IN GAZA: HAMAS OFFERS BOUNTIES TO KILL US AND LOCAL AID WORKERS, GROUP SAYS
Kemp also told Fox News Digital that civilian deaths in Gaza are “unavoidable” because of how Hamas operates. He argued that this is part of the terror group’s “primary objective,” which he says is “to get the IDF to kill as many civilians as possible so they can achieve what they have achieved, which is the vilification of Israel, the isolation of Israel, and the condemnation of Israel — the accusations of war crimes and genocide — none of which are true.” He commended the IDF, saying that Israeli forces have “done a quite extraordinary job that no other army probably could do of maximizing the destruction of Hamas while minimizing the deaths of civilians.”
While on the ground in Gaza, Kemp had the opportunity to speak with civilians and visit aid distribution sites run by the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). He said the civilians who spoke with him were grateful for the aid and recognized the role the U.S., under President Donald Trump, has played. At the same time, they hold Hamas responsible for putting them in “the terrible situation they’re in now.”
HAMAS FACES ‘LEGITIMACY CRISIS’ AS DESPERATE GAZANS FLOCK TO US-BACKED AID CENTERS
When asked about the criticism GHF has faced from the international community — particularly the United Nations — Kemp said that the organization is working in a way that is “uniquely suitable” for the situation in Gaza. He argued that the U.N. is attempting to apply a “standard template solution,” which does not work for Gaza, as evidenced by the amount of aid stolen by Hamas.
“Some of them told me it was the first time since the war began, 20 months ago, that they have actually received any free aid at all,” Kemp told Fox News Digital. He said that in some instances, Hamas would steal aid and sell the goods at premium prices that many civilians could not afford.
Kemp emphasized the need for other nations and major humanitarian organizations to support the GHF and noted the recent $30 million in funding the organization had received from the U.S.
“No other country that I know of has directly contributed funding to the GHF, and they should do so because the GHF, not the U.N., is the future of aid deliveries into Gaza,” Kemp told Fox News Digital. He also acknowledged that the U.N. has a role to play, but added that it must be “in the interest of the people of Gaza, not bureaucracy.”
