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The Israeli Cost of the War in Gaza
A mourner holds an Israeli flag, ahead of the funeral of Israeli soldier Sergeant Maayan Baruch Pearlstein, who was killed amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Misgav, Israel, June 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Florion Goga
Gwyne Dyer, a widely syndicated British-Canadian columnist, who describes himself as a military historian knowledgeable about the Middle East, recently compared the number of civilian casualties in Gaza with the number of civilians killed in Ukraine from the ongoing Russian invasion. Dyer claims that about four times as many civilians have died in Gaza in about half the time.
Dyer’s comparison is like comparing apples and oranges. The war in Ukraine is a conventional war fought by uniformed soldiers from Russia (the attacker) and Ukraine. Ukrainian civilians die, or are injured, when the Russians aim their artillery, rockets, and drones at civilian targets, such as apartment buildings and markets. There are no Ukrainian military personnel systematically shooting at the Russians from civilian infrastructure.
In Gaza, it is the opposite. Hamas (the attacker) has weaponized the deaths and injuries of its own people by making it impossible to distinguish between combatants and civilians, and by placing and using weapons in civilian homes, in schools, and in hospitals. All of these are war crimes.
Nothing emphasizes the disregard by Hamas for the welfare of ordinary Palestinians more than the 500 kilometers of tunnels built over 18 years to protect Hamas combatants and weapons, not civilians. (Of course, the tunnels also hide the Hamas hostages, also a war crime.). Recently, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri played down the significance of Gaza casualties, saying, “Our women’s wombs will produce many more babies — 50,000 were born in Gaza during the war.”
Dyer, like the vast majority of the world’s news commentators, uses information on casualties provided by Hamas, a genocidal Islamist terrorist organization that has tyrannized the people of Gaza for the past 18 years.
Why should the numbers provided by Hamas (the Gaza Health Ministry), an organization that is against all progressive societal norms, including; a free press, gender equality, LGBQT+ rights, and free democratic elections — and which have proven to be false in the past — be taken at face value?
In fact, a detailed analysis of Hamas casualty reports by Andrew Fox, identifies errors and questionable counting by Hamas.
For example, the numbers may include natural deaths, and deaths from before the war started. And, of course, the numbers never mention how many were Hamas combatants. Yet, more than 90% of articles on Gaza in major English language news outlets accept and repeat the information Hamas provides.
The articles on Gaza never mention Hamas’ human shield strategy in Gaza. This means that Hamas is essentially erased as an active party in the conflict, instead placing full blame for civilian casualties on Israel. It is as if Israeli soldiers are not fighting a war, they just shoot unarmed civilians.
Looking back at the Gwynne Dyer article that I mentioned at the outset, there is one statistic missing. There is no mention of Israeli military casualties in Gaza.
I scan the news often, every day, and sometimes several times a day. I glance at the news emanating from my own country, Canada, also the US, and the UK, and of course the news from Israeli outlets. (A number of Canadian news sources, especially the Toronto Star and CBC, are consistently biased and negative when it comes to Israel.)
IDF casualties are always mentioned in the Israeli news, always by name and, sadly, quite often. They are usually a result of IEDs (improvised explosive devices), booby-trapped buildings (so many buildings in the Gazan city of Rafah have been booby-trapped), and snipers. IDF casualties in Gaza almost never come up in the reports published outside Israel.
IDF casualty statistics are easy to find since IDF casualties are published online and updated continuously. Excluding the hundreds of soldiers killed and thousands wounded in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, 435 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 2,740 wounded in Gaza thus far.
All civilian deaths and injuries in war are terrible and it is heartbreaking to read about the toll in Gaza, especially when it comes to children. The truth is, however, that Israel is fighting a war in Gaza against Hamas, the government of Gaza. Hamas is intentionally hiding among the civilian population of Gaza in order to maximize Palestinian civilian casualties. It is Hamas, not Israel, that is guilty of war crimes.
When David Baddiel wrote Jews Don’t Count (2021), he was trying to make the point that when it comes to racism and identity politics, Jews and antisemitism are usually not included. He was referring to live Jews. When Dara Horn wrote People Love Dead Jews (2021), she was referring to topics such as the global focus on the story of Anne Frank. It turns out that people don’t love dead Jews. They don’t even count them.
Jacob Sivak, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, is a retired professor, University of Waterloo.
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Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft
The opening tip between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 13, 2020. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
In a landmark night for Israeli basketball, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, marking the first time two Israeli players have been drafted in the same year.
Saraf, a 19-year-old guard known for his explosive athleticism and creative playmaking, was taken with the 26th pick. A standout with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and a rising star on Israel’s youth national teams, Saraf gained international attention with his electrifying scoring and commanding court presence.
With the 27th pick, the Nets selected 7-foot center Danny Wolf out of the University of Michigan. Wolf, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship and represented Israel at the U-20 level, brings a versatile skill set, including sharp passing, perimeter shooting, and a strong feel for the game. After his name was called, Wolf grew emotional in an on-air interview, crediting his family for helping him reach the moment.
“I have the two greatest brothers in the world; I have an unbelievable sister who I love,” Wolf said. “They all helped me get to where I am today, and they’re going to help me get to where I am going to go in this league.”
The historic double-pick adds to the growing wave of Israeli presence on the NBA stage, led by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who just completed a breakout 2024–25 season. After being traded to Portland last summer, Avdija thrived as a starter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. In March alone, he posted 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, including two triple-doubles.
“I don’t think I’ve played like this before … I knew I had it in me. But I’m not really thinking about it. I’m just playing. I’m just free,” Avdija told reporters in March
With Saraf and Wolf joining Avdija, Israel’s basketball pipeline has reached unprecedented visibility. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the moment “a national celebration for sports and youth,” and Israeli sports commentators widely hailed the night as “historic.”
Both Saraf and Wolf are expected to suit up for the Nets’ Summer League team in July. As the two rookies begin their NBA journey, they join a growing generation of Israeli athletes proving that their game belongs on basketball’s biggest stage.
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Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.
Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
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Ireland Becomes First European Nation to Advance Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements
A pro-Hamas demonstration in Ireland led by nationalist party Sinn Fein. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Ireland has become the first European nation to push forward legislation banning trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — an effort officials say is meant “to address the horrifying situation” in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris announced that the legislation has already been approved by the government and will now move to the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.
“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Harris said during a press conference.
The Irish diplomat also told reporters he hopes the “real benefit” of the legislation will be to encourage other countries to follow suit, “because it is important that every country uses every lever at its disposal.”
Today Ireland becomes the first country in Europe to bring forward legislation to ban trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza.
Every country must pull every lever at its disposal. pic.twitter.com/Z4RTjqntEY— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 24, 2025
Joining a growing number of EU member states aiming to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Ireland’s decision comes after a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal.
The ICJ ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Once implemented, the law will criminalize the importation of goods from Israeli settlements into Ireland, empowering customs officials to inspect, seize, and confiscate any such shipments.
“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris said. “I have made it consistently clear that this government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”
“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-state solution,” the Irish diplomat continued. “This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.”
Harris also urged the EU to comply with the ICJ’s ruling by taking a more decisive and “adequate response” regarding imports from Israeli settlements.
“This is an issue that I will continue to press at EU level, and I reiterated my call for concrete proposals from the European Commission at the Foreign Affairs Council this week,” he said.
Last week, Ireland and eight other EU member states — Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — called on the European Commission to draft proposals for how EU countries can halt trade and imports with Israeli settlements, in line with obligations set out by the ICJ.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas.
“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.
It is regrettable that even when Israel fighting an existential threat which is in Europe vital interest – there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession.
Shameful! https://t.co/lxm9qm8sM1— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 19, 2025
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