Lies About the IDF in Gaza, Refuted

John Spencer is a West Point professor of urban warfare. Arsen Ostrovsky is a human rights lawyer and CEO of the International Legal Forum. They have just collaborated on an article, published online, about the “seven lies” about the IDF in Gaza, and their refutation. Their analysis deserves wide dissemination. It can be found here: “The Top 7 Lies About Israel and the IDF Pertaining to Gaza,” by John Spencer & Arsen Ostrovsky, X, April 29, 2025. Here are the first two:

In an era of weaponized disinformation, few militaries have been more vilified — or more wrongly accused — than the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Israel’s war against Hamas has been distorted beyond recognition by activists, media outlets, and even some international institutions.

It is time to confront the truth head-on. Here are the seven most pervasive lies — and the reality they seek to obscure.

1. Lie: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

Genocide is the most serious crime under international law, defined by the1948 Genocide Convention as acts committed with “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.” Crucially, genocide requires specific intent — not simply that civilian deaths occur during war, but that they are intended as part of a broader plan to exterminate a people. This specific intent — known in legal terms as dolus specialis — sets a uniquely high bar that distinguishes genocide from even the most destructive military actions.

The acts that could constitute genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention include killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm; deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births; and forcibly transferring children to another group. Crucially, however, these acts only amount to genocide when committed with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group as such.

None of Israel’s actions meet this threshold. Israel targets Hamas — an armed terrorist entity that initiated the war with mass atrocities on October 7. The IDF issues evacuation warnings, facilitates humanitarian aid, and restricts military operations to lawful targets. There is no Israeli policy, order, or pattern of action that suggests an attempt to destroy the Palestinian people.

Even the International Court of Justice (ICJ), despite accepting a politically driven genocide claim for preliminary hearings, has not ruled that Israel is committing genocide — nor has any credible international body. Israel’s conduct is the very opposite of genocide: it is a defensive war waged under the binding requirements of international law.

2. Lie: Israel intentionally targets civilians in Gaza.

Under international humanitarian law, the presence of civilian casualties in war — while tragic — does not equate to a war crime unless civilians are directly and intentionally targeted.

The IDF is one of the only militaries in history to systematically exceed the legal obligations to protect civilians. Israel’s methods include:

– Advance warnings through leaflets, SMS texts, phone calls, providing their military maps to civilians, and even “roof-knock” warning munitions before strikes.

– Establishing humanitarian evacuation corridors.

– Constant aerial surveillance to abort missions if civilians are detected near targets.

– Use of precision-guided munitions to minimize explosive radius.

– Use of “call out” tactics to surround areas or buildings, call all personnel out, and then using facial recognition to identify Hamas militants within the crowds.

– Frequent cancellation of planned attacks when civilian presence is deemed too high — even at significant operational cost. In fact, Israel routinely refrains from striking legitimate military targets because of the potential for civilian casualties.

As documented in multiple cases during the current conflict, Israeli forces have walked away from critical high-value targets — senior Hamas commanders — simply because women and children were nearby. No army in the world holds fire to the degree Israel does in the face of an enemy that embeds itself inside a civilian population.