To the editor: It broke my heart to read the article by Dr. Irfan Galaria, a surgeon from Virginia who recently volunteered in the Gaza Strip.
I was surprised by what he said about the people who died quickly in the bombings being the luckiest. Children and others in Gaza who have lost limbs or suffered other injuries will suffer for the rest of their lives. They are the ones who must go through life after the war.
In addition to the children's physical and psychological scars, how many years of education will they lose? How long will they have to live in tents? How many years will it take to rebuild their houses, streets, sewers, water lines, schools, hospitals, mosques and churches?
Yes, it was horrible what Hamas did to Israeli civilians on October 7, but massacring the people of Gaza in response is not only inhumane: it is genocidal.
George J. Mouro, Rancho Mirage
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To the editor: Galaria’s use of the word “annihilation” led me to reflect on our history.
The United States has December 7, 1941, a day that “will live in infamy.” Israel has October 7, 2023.
Ultimately, the United States responded by dropping atomic bombs on Japanese civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 200,000 people, including women and children. The enemy surrender came later.
How can an American denounce Israel's response to an equivalent sneak attack, when it has caused a fraction of the casualties and no radioactive fallout?
War is hell. In the United States, we used to blame the carnage on the attack that started it, not on the response that ended it.
Rick Goldfarb, Sherman Oaks
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To the editor: There is no doubt that what Galaria experienced was a living hell. No innocent should suffer in war.
For many years, Israel has been under rocket attack from Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel and will continue to attack until it is destroyed. The issues are very complicated, and even more so since the October 7 attack.
War is hell. The Israeli military has shown evidence of tunnels used by Hamas under Gaza hospitals. Evidently, Hamas thought that the Israelis would never endanger innocent people. Unfortunately, to defeat Hamas, Israel has had to do things that may seem inhumane.
It is time for the world to demand that Hamas surrender for the sake of the people of Gaza. Then the people will be able to establish a real government that works for peace with Israel and uses its resources productively instead of focusing on terrorism.
Bob Shaw, Burbank
