As a Jewish Daily Iowan alum, I am concerned that none of the stories on the Israel-Hamas War have included the positions of Pro-Israel Jews on campus. I was even more concerned you let a certain opinion piece go unanswered.

It appears your Opinions Editor is collecting death count information from the Gaza Health Ministry. For those unaware, Hamas controls the information coming out of the Strip. If you think these death counts are accurate, you probably believe all that humanitarian aid heading to Gaza will actually be used to treat civilians who need it. Hint: it won’t..

Furthermore, Israel used a majority of its last $1 billion+ dollar package to restock the Iron Dome; the system used to defend Israelis from incoming rocketfire. So this guy’s suggestion is to let millions of Jews die by getting bombed into oblivion?

You will have noticed that while there have been protests and unrest happening in the West Bank, there is not an active war. Why? Because they are not run by a death cult.

This war is horror. Not only for Arabs and Jews but also for people with a heart. Civilians have and will continue to die, both in Gaza and in Israel.

Here is the difference. Israel does not use its civilians as human shields. Hamas does. Israel tells the enemy where they will strike so civilians can evacuate. Hamas surprises its victims and also rapes and beheads them. Israeli leadership is in Israel. Hamas leadership is in Qatar, cowering in another country and using their own people as ‘martyrs’.

Let us not forget BOTH religious scripture and archaeological evidence show a sustained Jewish presence in our ancestral homeland. Throughout history, the land has been colonized by Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Turks and Arabs. All have passed through, Jews have remained.”

                                                                                                                                            – Will Silverstein

Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.