‘Horror of the highest magnitude’: Famed Jewish professor on Israel's attack on hospital in Gaza

By Islam Dogru

Famed Jewish professor in the US, Norman Finkelstein, described Israel's attack on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza as "a horror of the highest magnitude" and said, "Israel always denies responsibility."

The political scientist spoke to Anadolu about the attack on the hospital and developments in the region since Oct. 7, when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood – a multi-pronged attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.

Finkelstein said there are two possible reactions to Israel's hospital attack: "emotional" and "intellectual."

On the emotional level, he said, "It was obviously a horror of the highest magnitude, and there is not much to say at that level. If you follow these events for 20 years, you will eventually become indifferent, desensitized, or exposed to the brutality that follows, and I have spent most of my adult life documenting a series of atrocities against the people of Gaza, only in small details."

On the intellectual level, he said he tends to ignore Israel's denial of attacks because "Israel always denies responsibility."

Finkelstein said weapons experts need to investigate what happened in the attack and warned that "there is always a possibility, I don't know, I'm waiting to hear what the official sources will say. What I know is, don't trust what the US government says, don't trust what the British government says, and of course, it goes without saying, don't trust what Israel says."

- 'Judgment cannot be made yet'

Finkelstein pointed out that the attack by Hamas's armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, had "technical", "factual", and "moral" dimensions.

He noted the attack by Hamas was a surprising feat from a technical standpoint, despite Gaza being the most heavily monitored area on the planet.

The professor emphasized that Gaza is monitored by satellite and communication technologies, as well as a large "spy network" from different parties on the ground.

"Despite these facts, they managed to hide this. According to Hamas, they had been working on this for two years and they managed to hide it from the Israelis, Americans, Egyptians, and even their own people. Apparently, many Hamas leaders were not even aware of it," he said.

Finkelstein said Hamas also carried out significant attacks after crossing the border, but it is not known how much was planned and how much was spontaneous, and that may never be known.

He noted political structures are making statements that serve their agendas.

"There is a broad picture of what happened, but a judgment cannot be made yet. For example, Hamas is an organization, and there are still some aspects that are dark and will probably remain dark forever," he said.

- 'Moral dimension' is the hardest question to answer

Finkelstein said the "moral dimension," taking into account the killing of civilians in the attacks, is the hardest part to answer.

"For most people, it is very easy to condemn Hamas as 'despicable murderers', etc. I think this is a more complex moral question. How do you morally evaluate the actions of most of the militants who rushed through the gates of the Gaza border (to Israel), born in a concentration camp, who have spent their entire lives in this concentration camp from day one? A place where the world's most densely populated area, with a length of about 40 kilometers (25 miles) and a diameter of 5 kilometers (3 miles), is locked in, where no one can enter or leave, with very few exceptions, with no job opportunities, no future. You are caught in a black hole. You have no past, no future, and no present," he said.

"We do not yet have the facts to assess what happened," he said about the attack by Hamas, but he does not understand how the number of dead in Israel increased by hundreds in the days following the attacks, which took place over a limited period of time.

"Every day, the number went from 50 to 100, 200, 300, 400, but at that point, Hamas militants had already been killed. So why did it take so long for all these bodies to come? I'm not saying this didn't happen, but I don't know. It is still a mystery how this happened, despite (Israel's) advanced civil defense and medical system. By the second day, all the dead had been taken to the morgues to be buried. Why were the numbers rising? Maybe there is a reasonable answer that I am missing," he said.

- 'North of Gaza to be declared new security zone'

About the potential effects of the attacks on the region and Israel's objectives, he said: “One thing we know for sure is that the most significant variables in the region are Hezbollah and Iran. If they don't do anything, Israel will proceed with its plan to evacuate the region they refer to as the northern part of Gaza and almost certainly declare it a new security zone. Half of Gaza's population will be pushed to the south of Gaza. How will these people live in the south? I believe Israel will simply say, 'This is not our problem; it's Egypt's problem,' and the US will likely accept this.'

Finkelstein noted that he does not believe Hezbollah will remain silent, particularly after what happened at the hospital in Gaza.

He said he believes the US aircraft carrier fleet has been sent to the region as a deterrent.

"The outward appearance of the US is not surprising. What surprised me a bit is how aggressively Joe Biden has supported Israel," he said.

But if Hezbollah refrains from entering the conflict, Finkelstein believes the US fleet will wait and return without taking action.