Israeli officials have made clear that absolutely no humanitarian aid will enter the Gaza Strip, unless the Hamas militants who kidnapped Israelis release those hostages. In a statement, Israel Katz, the Israeli Energy Minister, said the following. [00:00:18] Not a single electricity switch will be flipped on, not a single faucet will be turned on, and not a single fuel truck will enter until the Israeli hostages are returned home. And what that means, is that the fate of millions of Palestinians [00:00:35] lies in the hands of these terrorists, these Hamas militants, who are so savage and so brutal that they had no problem murdering over a thousand civilians over the weekend, including literal babies. [00:00:52] And I'm terrified for these Palestinian civilians who are now suffering as a result. This is a serious humanitarian crisis, they have nowhere to go, nowhere to flee, their neighborhoods are being leveled, airstrikes are constant. [00:01:08] Israel is employing this tactic of leveling entire neighborhoods rather than just individual buildings. And Palestinians say they're unable to escape, and have nowhere to go, and that entire families have been crushed under the rubble as a result of those airstrikes. [00:01:24] On Wednesday, Gaza's only power station ran out of fuel and shut down, leaving only lights powered by scattered private generators. International aid groups warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis after Israel halted deliveries of food, water, fuel and electricity to Gaza's 2.3 million [00:01:43] people and prevented entry of supplies from Egypt. The war has claimed at least 2,700 lives on both sides. In fact, in Gaza alone, 1,500 people have been reported dead, with about 500 of them being children. I have more details for you, [00:01:59] including the disastrous fate of the hospitals in Gaza in just a moment. Cenk, I'd like you to jump in. >> Speaker 3: Yeah, so look, my take on it is that it lies in two different sets of hands. So yes, Hamas can turn over the hostages and then presumably solve at [00:02:16] least the electricity problem that Israel's friending. But, of course, just as a matter of fact, it is also in Israeli hands, and the Israeli government is the one making the decision to cut off the electricity. Now, you can say they're justified, that's a question up for debate. [00:02:33] I don't think it's justified, and I'll tell you why. If I have a family member that was kidnapped by Hamas and is in one of those tunnels, I would be both incredibly scared and enraged. And I would not wanna have a conversation about Palestinians, and innocent lives, [00:02:50] and this and that, I would want them to cut off the electricity. So I'm being honest with you, okay? But governments shouldn't run enraged family members, because then you're going to make a lot of vicious decisions that affect tons of innocent lives. [00:03:07] So we have condemned Hamas's brutal acts inside Israel very forcefully throughout here on this show, including the killing of children and babies. So now, 500 Palestinian children are dead, how much bloodletting is enough? [00:03:26] So if you're saying vengeance justifies the killing of these Palestinians, including their children, okay, I guess you could debate that, but I would come out on the side of, don't do that. Why did we all get enraged at Hamas? [00:03:42] Why are we so angry at them? Because their actions led to these directly, they killed these innocent civilians. So if Israel says yeah, we're gonna cut off electricity knowing that it's gonna kill all these people, we're leveling these blocks. [00:04:00] We're giving some warnings, and some folks are saying well, you cut off all the power nobody's hearing the warnings. Again, you could debate the facts around that, but Israel is making a decision. Yes, we are going to punish not just Hamas, and they are gonna every Hamas member that crossed over to Israel is the most fair [00:04:16] game you've ever seen in your life. Those are at best case scenario, if you don't wanna call them terrorists and you wanna call them soldiers, it doesn't matter, because at the end of the day, if soldiers invade your area or terrorists invade your area, you get to kill them all, okay? So that is not in dispute at all. They're targeting some Hamas leaders, of course, they're going to target [00:04:36] Hamas leaders perfectly reasonable, and within normal actions within a war. The question is, where do you draw the line? So Hamas never had any moral high ground, but on behalf of Palestinians, they lost the moral high ground, and it was despicable the way they did it. [00:04:51] So now, apparently, Netanyahu's government says, yeah, I'm gonna lose the moral high ground, just as much as you, or more than you, or less than you. You could debate what the relative actions are, and Hamas started it no one debates that. Killing all those people isn't gonna help here, [00:05:07] I'm gonna give you a quote that to me struck me the most. So this is from Associated Press News, but they're quoting the Red Cross here as you'll see. Without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues, said Fabrizio Carboni, regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross. [00:05:24] Newborn incubators, kidney dialysis machines, x rays, and more, are all dependent on power, he said. No, the government cannot do that, you can't do that. And so they're gonna do it, and you say, well, [00:05:41] then Hamas should give over the case. Yes, but Hamas, you all say are terrorists, right? And what they did was terrorism when they killed those civilians, no question, right? So we're gonna leave the decision in the hands of terrorists, or [00:05:57] are we going to be better than them? And I would ask Israel to be better than them. And you can say, I can't believe you're even having this discussion. No, I am having this discussion, I am having it because do not counter with equal or more viciousness. [00:06:14] Maybe you think morally speaking you have a right to, but I'm asking you not to. Because when you kill their children, this isn't going to solve the situation at all. >> Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree on that 100%. I have no problem with them targeting Hamas, [00:06:31] I do believe that Hamas is a terrorist organization. I do believe that what they committed over the weekend in terms of their torture, and murder, and maiming of Israeli citizens and innocent civilians in Israel was absolutely disgusting, and they should suffer the consequences of that. [00:06:49] But we're talking about a population of people in Gaza, half of whom are under the age of 18. These are not individuals who asked for this, these are not individuals who carried out terrorist attacks themselves, these are innocent [00:07:05] civilians who are trying to live their lives in an untenable situation. >> Speaker 2: And I wanna go to the video showing scenes of what Gazans are dealing with right now as we speak. It is just absolutely tragic, it's difficult to watch, [00:07:21] so I wanna give that warning. But here is what is like to be a Palestinian stuck in the Gaza Strip. >> Speaker 4: The Gaza City neighborhood once known as Al Rimal, the sands, reduced to ashes. Its residents retrieve what they can, which isn't much. [00:07:41] Israel continues to pound this strip, targeting it says, Hamas infrastructure. Residents in shock are asking why? I got married this year, says Yahyalahwal, what did I do? What have we done? [00:07:56] You destroyed an entire neighborhood, he says he never fired a rocket. >> Speaker 4: In this, one of the most densely populated patches of land on Earth, bombs crashing into. The crowded neighborhoods rarely differentiate between fighter and [00:08:12] civilian. [SOUND] The death toll rises by the hour, while Gaza's hospitals are overwhelmed with the wounded. Around 40% of the population of Gaza is under the age of 15, according to the CIA. [00:08:28] The information ministry in Gaza reports that nearly 170 buildings have been destroyed and more than 12,000 residences damaged. >> Speaker 2: And I think that Hamas's unwillingness to release the hostages not only shows their brutality toward Israeli civilians, but [00:08:46] also their brutality toward Palestinians. Knowing full well that this is gonna continue happening, and people will continue to be killed, brutalized as a result of their actions, but they don't care. >> Speaker 3: Yeah, so this is among the reasons why I said that Hamas was monstrous idiots. [00:09:04] They have no plan, they have no endgame, they have no strategy. It's just rage and murder and mayhem. And I said days ago, and what's it going to happen? Okay, you killed Israeli civilians in a grotesque way, and [00:09:20] now they're gonna kill tons and tons and tons of Palestinians. So did you think that that wasn't going to happen? So what was your plan now? So Israel says they took out a bunch of the leadership, including one elite force for Hamas, if such a thing exists. [00:09:39] And maybe a naval commander, like I suppose you expected. But didn't you not expect that they would level Gaza? Of course they're gonna level Gaza. So now, you could say, hey, Cenk, it's not of course they shouldn't, I just told you they shouldn't, right? But they're going to, and every rational person knew they were going to. [00:09:56] So look, guys, it's super easy to blame Hamas, and we just did it 10,000 times over. And yes, they started this, and all that responsibility is on them. But that doesn't mean that Israel doesn't have any responsibility. And you just saw that rubble there. [00:10:13] Yes, they didn't start it, but just saying, okay, you started it, so now we're gonna kill however many more of you. That's not what a government should do. I know a lot of governments do it, our government did a lot of that on 911. And we killed the wrong people in Iraq, let alone the right people, [00:10:30] let alone civilians instead of soldiers. I understand that, but we spoke out against that, and we speak out against Hamas. And now we're in a situation we're gonna have to speak out against this brutality. And by the way, let's just acknowledge things that are super obvious. [00:10:45] Look at why can Israel do this to Gaza with no repercussions, no brakes in the car, no nothing? Cuz of the occupation, the idea that Israel handed over Gaza Strip is absurd. [00:11:02] I'm sorry, but I can't stomach that, it's not a thing that actually happened. People have to stop saying it, they don't control their borders at all. Then Netanyahu comes in and says, well, if you don't like it, you should leave. Great, yes, they would like to leave. 15% have packed up their bags and they're going stuffed into UN facilities within Gaza. [00:11:20] But they can't leave, they don't control their own borders. They can't go into Israel, they can't go into Egypt, there is no leaving. And then, okay, well, then how are they just cutting off the electricity? So the Palestinians don't control their own electricity. They don't control their own fuel, their medicine, etc, you know why? [00:11:38] Because they're occupied, there is an occupying force that controls them completely. Please don't deny reality, that's the reality. And that's why you're seeing total, unlimited damage in Gaza. [00:11:53] You saw it with your own eyes. >> Speaker 2: But let me ask you a question, Cenk, because prior to what Hamas did over the weekend, I would have agreed with you 1000%. However, you have to understand the perspective of Israelis when Hamas has control of the Gaza Strip, knowing full well how brutal and savage they are. [00:12:13] And how willing they are to kill literal children, literal civilians who did nothing wrong, and people try to argue, no, they're not civilians. Some of these people are settlers, and so they're part of the problem. Anyone making that argument is so incredibly ignorant and hateful. [00:12:31] Don't even bring that BS to me, okay? But when you see the kind of threat that Hamas poses to the civilian population in Israel, you can understand that perspective of fear. >> Speaker 3: Of course I understand the fear. [00:12:46] >> Speaker 2: So what is the solution? >> Speaker 2: I know what the solution is. >> Because I understand where they're coming from, but I also don't want Palestinians to be brutalized like this. >> Speaker 3: Yeah, I know what the solution is, Ben and I talked about it on the first day here. And so, look, you can say it's not easy, but I actually think it is easy. [00:13:03] And I know that sounds outrageous, but I'll tell you why in a second. Okay, so first, though, I have to distinguish a couple of things. So everyone is human, I wish no one would ever get killed in a situation like this, including the soldiers. A lot of the soldiers for the Israelis are young kids pulled out of their house, [00:13:18] get drafted, you gotta go, okay? A lot of the people dying in Gaza Strip are kids. And by the way, if they're 17, 18, they're part of the fighting. Well, hey, you attacked Israel, you had it coming, but they're still 17, 18, settlers. [00:13:35] I think what the settlers are doing inside the Gaza Strip and the West Bank is disgusting. >> Speaker 2: My understanding is they pulled settlers out of the Gaza Strip forcibly, okay? >> Speaker 3: Yeah, good. >> Speaker 2: And that there are settlers, yes, that is a huge problem when it comes to the West Bank. [00:13:50] That is a problem with the West Bank. But the settler argument in the context of the Gaza conflict makes absolutely no sense. >> Speaker 3: Okay, so look, what I was getting to is, it doesn't mean you get to kill settlers, they're still human beings, okay? Now, not that being said, also, a different fact is, [00:14:09] today there's a story about how the settlers killed three Palestinians. And then when the Palestinian families went to the funerals, the settlers pulled over the funeral procession and killed the people going to the funerals. So there's no end to this, there's no end to the hatred. [00:14:28] And so, is Hamas vicious? Of course, look, again, everybody get upset if you want, but fundamentalism drives this. Normal people that grew up in a normal secular culture don't go around killing babies. You have to brainwash them into, not regular religion, [00:14:46] fundamentalist religion, and tell them that God wants you to murder babies. That's the only way that it happens. So, yes, Hamas is out of control in that it is led by fundamentalists, the settlers totally out of control, led by fundamentalists. And if you're getting like, no, but the settlers are just stealing land and [00:15:03] murdering Palestinians, it's not that big a deal. You're wrong, it's a giant deal, it's a cancer that's causing this problem in the first place. So, okay, now, we've apportioned gigantic blame to everyone who deserves the blame. So how the hell do we solve it? One last piece of blame. [00:15:19] Stop saying, I will not accept this argument under any circumstances, the Palestinians had it coming. There is no Palestinians, not every Palestinian, a three year old didn't sign up to be part of Hamas. Because if you use that logic, just please think about it for one second. If you use that logic and go, yeah, but they voted for [00:15:37] Hamas, Israel voted for Netanyahu. Under that logic, Hamas goes, the Israelis had it coming. The civilians should be murdered for voting for Netanyahu. That is terrible logic, I hate that logic, all that logic leads to, it's not even logic. All that leads to is killing more innocent civilians. [00:15:53] All right, so what's the solution? And as I said on Monday, withdraw from the occupied territories, build the largest walls humans have ever built, make the Great Wall in China look like child's play. And then at that point, Hamas, Fatah, any Palestinian government [00:16:09] You cross over to Israel, then you have attacked a foreign country, and they have every right to attack you back in whichever way that they like. But right now, the Palestinians don't have a country, they're completely and utterly vulnerable, defenseless, [00:16:26] imprisoned, with no rights, no control over their own territory. So I would reverse the question, I have an answer, 1967 borders and giant walls, I have an answer. By the way, about a decade ago or longer, they negotiated a compromise that was past the 1967 borders. [00:16:45] The Palestinians looked like they were ready to accept that. And Hamas even indicated behind the scenes that they would withdraw that dumb, stupid thing that they have in their charter about how Israel's not allowed to exist. Really, Hamas? How's that working out for you, anyways? [00:17:02] So whether you think it's the Palestinian or Israeli's fault for not accepting that peace agreement, that peace agreement that was nearly done exists, they could put that into effect today. If I was Israel, I would not be unfair, I'm not talking about the war in terms of the peace. [00:17:17] I would take a peace deal that was slightly in favor of the Palestinians and then just do it unilaterally. By the way, the Palestinians don't want no, no, we need to have negotiations. How's your negotiations working out? Do it unilaterally, but be super fair, [00:17:33] then you sit on the moral high ground forever and ever and ever, okay? But now with the occupation, and now what you're doing to Gaza, there goes the moral high ground. You had it, and then at a moment where you erect with grief, [00:17:50] if you can rise above that, that is when you become historic, and that is when the world cherishes you. And I get it, human reaction is, you killed mine, I can't wait to kill yours. I understand that, but wouldn't it be [00:18:09] amazing if finally one side rose above it? And right now they're not. And so I will condemn Hamas from here to eternity for what they did, but it makes the occupation no better at all, [00:18:27] it's still the core of the problem. You cannot occupy people for 56 years, control their lives 100%, and then go, golly gee, hey, is it a problem? Yes, it's a problem. [00:18:43] And if you say no, you're not allowed to talk about it the day after. Okay, I hear you, I said it like, hey, what does not time talk about apartheid, etc, the day after. But when do we get to talk about it? Do we have to wait two years? This is the same thing that happened at MSNBC with me. I was gonna criticize Obama. He said, don't do it, you have to wait a week, until it's out of the news cycle and [00:19:04] the occupation continues on mercilessly to the end of time. It's incumbent upon Israel to come up with a plan to end that occupation. If you're the occupying force, it is your moral duty to end the occupation. If you do not, then you lose the moral high ground and [00:19:21] you don't get like, okay, everyone here is bad guys, but go ahead, keep killing each other, see how it turns out for you. I'm disgusted by those poor, poor kids dead in Israel. A baby stroller by a car, they mowed it down. [00:19:39] Families killed in the Kibbutz, I mean, God knows what they did to women, etc. And I'm disgusted by the 500 Palestinian children that are dead now and way more to come. And when a government like Israel says, we will cut off all of your fuel. [00:19:54] And if you got kids on incubators and you got grandmothers on life support, they're all gonna die and we don't care, that's not what a decent government is supposed to do.