Israel dropped more than 100,000 tons of bombs on Gaza, or more than 100 kilotons. The nuclear bomb dropped by the United States on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 9, 1945, had a yield of approximately 15 kilotons. This means that the small area of Gaza was subjected to a bombardment equivalent in explosive power to approximately seven Hiroshima bombs.

That's according to William Astor, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, history professor, and senior fellow at the Eisenhower Media Network (EMN), an organization of military veterans and prominent national security professionals.

More than 51,000 Palestinians have been confirmed killed in Gaza; the actual death toll could be double or triple that number. The number of wounded is likely to be more than 100,000. (Who can say for sure, given the scale of destruction and unrest in Gaza?)

How can this level of destruction be justified or defended in any way?

Astor says: "Gaza is already almost destroyed. The Israeli government's intention is clear: after making Gaza uninhabitable, the remaining Palestinians will be expelled, displaced, and evacuated. Or they will die on the spot, from further bombing, as well as from hunger and disease."

Astor argues that the US government enabled this genocide by supplying Israel with all the bombs it needed to crush Gaza. The US government also provided diplomatic cover and military protection while Israel implemented its final solution to the Gaza conflict.

Some argue that this is not genocide because Israel is not forcibly transporting Palestinians to gas chambers. But there are many forms of genocide, and many ways to kill massive numbers of people.

In *The History and Sociology of Genocide* (1990), Frank Schock and Kurt Jonasson define genocide as “a form of unilateral mass murder in which a state or other authority intends to destroy a group, as defined by the perpetrator and membership in that group.”

Is there unilateral mass murder? Astor answers his own question: Yes; Is there an intent to commit mass destruction? Yes, according to Astor.

Astor adds, "Gaza and its people are being destroyed before our eyes; the bulk of this effort is funded, directly or indirectly, by American taxpayers. Yet we are told that Hamas is responsible. It is forcing the Israeli government to kill and injure hundreds of thousands."

He points out that "one thing is certain: the Israeli government could not have committed this genocide without massive military support from the United States."

Astor concludes by saying, “Perhaps one day, as Omar Akkad wrote, ‘everyone will always be against this’ [the ongoing genocide in Gaza]. The question remains: Why do so many, especially in the Israeli and American governments, still insist on committing and defending this?”