An exact count remains difficult because of the condition of some of the corpses, The New York Times reported.
The world's shock and outrage over the attack didn’t last long, and Israel’s friends list could dwindle further given the precarious level of “support” from the U.S., its longest ally.
Complicating matters is last week’s errant air strike in Gaza that killed seven aid workers of World Central Kitchen.
The Israeli government approved the opening of three corridors to allow aid into Gaza a day after a tense phone call between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Israel is a democracy, Hamas a terrorist organization. Democracies place the highest value on human life...every human life. If we lose that reverence for human life, we risk becoming indistinguishable from those we confront,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters.
Chris Mitchell, Middle East bureau chief for CBN News, told Washington Watch last week many were offended by Blinken's comments.
"They feel there’s no comparison between them and the way Hamas has conducted this war," Mitchell said. "Israel has been doing from the very beginning what they do in all of their conflicts … do what they can to protect civilian lives."
The inflated Hamas statistics
Israeli citizens believe the Hamas figure of 33,000 Palestinians killed since the outbreak of the war is grossly inflated for propaganda purposes, Mitchell told show host Jody Hice.
“To compare the way Israel has conducted this war, trying to alert civilians to get out of harm’s way by using leaflets, sending text messages, making phone calls to get out of a war zone, many people, military historians would say has been unprecedented, that the IDF actually telegraphs exactly what they’re going to do and actually puts IDF soldiers at risk. I’ve talked to some Israelis here. They know their sons and daughters could be in harm’s way because of the way the IDF conducts its mission,” Mitchell said.
Some have called this a “Churchill moment” for Netanyahu, referring to Great Britain's heroic World War II prime minister, but Mitchell says it’s different than that.
“I was asking someone we interviewed on our program today, is this sort of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Churchill moment? He actually called it a Judah Macabee moment,” Mitchell said.
Macabee, a priest-turned-guerilla fighter, famously rallied the Jews against Greeks.
Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf described the brutality of the Greeks this way in piece on Judah Macabee for Torah.org.
“The Greeks were different from other empires. They didn’t just want your land, your resources and your riches — they wanted your national essence, your culture. They wanted you to think like them, live like them and even be entertained like them. The problem was most Jews weren’t buying, and the Greeks didn’t appreciate that. So the Greeks brought pressure to bear on the Jews.
“Women who insisted that their sons be circumcised were killed along with their babies. Brides were forced to sleep with Greek officers before they could be with their husbands. Jews were required to eat pork and sacrifice pigs to the Greek gods. The teaching of Torah became a capital crime.
“The sages and their students went into hiding in order to study and preserve the Torah. Secret weddings were held. Most Jews did anything and everything to remain Jewish. Many were tortured and murdered for their defiance. A period of darkness and suffering descended upon the Jews of Israel,” Shimon wrote.
Will Israel finish war without U.S.?
Netanyhu has repeatedly pushed his case for the complete destruction of Hamas in Gaza. Pursuing that victory without the United States is now a real possibility.
Last week, after the deaths of the aid workers, Biden administration official John Kirby told reporters the White House wants to see some "real changes" from the Israelis.
"You know, if we don't see changes from their side, there'll have to be changes from our side," Kirby warned.
“I think a lot of Israelis and Jews around the world think this is a time that Benjamin Netanyahu really has to make a decision for the state of Israel, for the Jewish people, whether or not they’re going to submit to the dictates of the United States or actually have to go it alone," Mitchell said, "They do feel isolated right now, and alone, but they also feel resolute in the sense that they believe there’s no way they can lose this war, there’s no way they can allow Hamas to remain a viable entity in the Gaza Strip."
Not only is the Biden administration placing conditions on its continued support, it’s weakening Netanyahu’s ability to govern, Mitchell said.
In March, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for new elections in Israel.
In a 40-minute speech on the Senate floor, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history said he believed Netanyahu had “lost his way” and called the prime minister a “far right extremist.”
Schumer was blasted by conservative leaders Sen. Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Mike Johnson but was praised by Biden.
“He made a good speech,” the President said. “I think he expressed serious concerns shared not only by him but by many Americans.”
Last week, Benny Gantz, a political opponent but part of Netanyahu’s coalition government as war cabinet minister, also called for an early election.
In spite of Gantz’ election call, Mitchell described support for Netanyahu as “pretty steadfast.”
Israelis “want to rally around Prime Minister Netanyahu. A number on the Left side of the ledger, they may not agree with the Prime Minister but they certainly agree with the war goals of the war cabinet,” Mitchell said.
Speaking about Israel on his own "Washington Watch" program, host Tony Perkins said there is a "continuing evolution" from the Biden administration, which is moving away from our ally Israel.
In spite of calls, early elections not a given
Many Israelis don’t support elections in spite of the calls from Schumer and now Gantz.
“They certainly don’t want the U.S. to try to undermine (Netanyahu) through a number of steps including the speech by Sen. Schumer on the Senate floor,” Mitchell said.
"I was there recently. I saw no cracks in his support," Perkins agreed. "In fact, I think the more agitation that you have from the West, in particular from the United States," the more solid his standing is in Israel."
Mitchell said Israelis feel the support of Christians in prayer.
“They understand that evangelical Christians in the U.S., and really around the world, are standing with them and praying for them," he said. "That really gives them a boost because they really do feel isolated, and particularly more now that the U.S., traditionally Israel’s greatest ally, seems be turning its back on them.”
