We will not turn a blind eye to war crimes and human suffering.

Friend,

There’s an old saying that the first casualty of war is truth.

One of the facts that you almost never hear in the U.S. media is that Israel’s siege of Gaza—cutting off water, electricity, and medicine while dropping thousands of bombs on a tiny, densely populated strip of land—is what scholars of genocide say is a textbook example of a war crime.

Let’s be clear: Hamas’s October 7 targeting of Israeli civilians was an abomination, and it has rightly been condemned worldwide. No moral justification exists for the brutal massacre or kidnapping of civilians, especially innocent children.

But revenge is not a justifiable use of military force under international law—and responding to a war crime with even greater war crimes will only continue and escalate the cycle of violence.

That is the ultimate tragedy of this moment and why fearless journalism remains vital to shed light on difficult realities that don’t fit the dominant narrative.

As we launch our critical Fall Campaign, we need our readers to know that we will keep reporting each and every day—as long as this conflict and violence last—without turning a blind eye to human suffering or the killing and displacement of civilians.

If you share our commitment to peace, justice, and universal human rights, please make a donation to support the nonprofit, independent journalism of Common Dreams.