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n which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Israeli military officials said at least 575 soldiers have been killed since the war began.The conflict has also seen the tragic loss of 88 journalists (83 Palestinian, 2 Israeli, and 3 Lebanese) and over 136 UNRWA aid workers.If we tally up and compare the numbers, they look like this:<blockquote id="d4df">Palestinian deaths: 29,000 and climbing</blockquote><blockquote id="0630">Israeli deaths: approximately 1,800</blockquote>If this were a boxing match, the referee would have stopped the fight long ago.How do these numbers compare to the Vietnam War?<blockquote id="ec7d">The Vietnam War lasted over 21 years, six months from May/June 1954, when the US violated the 1954 Geneva Agreements on Indochina to December 1975.</blockquote><blockquote id="8e0b">In 1995, Vietnam released its official estimate of the number of people killed during the Vietnam War: as many as 2,000,000 civilians on both sides and some 1,100,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters.</blockquote>With such a vast difference in the number of civilian casualties between the

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Gaza conflict and Vietnam, why would I think there would be any possibility of history repeating itself?<blockquote id="92b8">The common denominator, the glaring fact that points to history repeating itself, is America’s involvement in both conflicts.</blockquote>The U.S. provided weapons and money to South Vietnam and has done the same for Israel.But here’s the difference: South Vietnam was under attack from communist North Vietnam, whose troops were advancing, intending to make South Vietnam part of a unified, communist Vietnam.In the case of Israel vs. Hamas, Israel is advancing into Palestinian territory for the sole purpose of eliminating its sworn enemy, the Hamas armed forces.Israel has shown no remorse over the number of innocent civilians killed so far in this conflict, and it has given no indication that it is backing off from its ongoing attack.I don’t support or condone the U.S. providing aid to Israel. It would be a different story if Israel was under attack and needed our assistance. I would get behind that.But America, once again, has blood on its hands. History is indeed repeating itself.Will we never learn?</article></body>

Is History Repeating Itself? Is Israel vs. Hamas Vietnam All Over Again?

As a young boy in the 1960s, during the height of the Vietnam War, I remember watching The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite with my dad every evening and hearing Cronkite give the current U.S. armed forces death toll at the end of each broadcast.

The number of U.S. casualties relayed by Cronkite that stuck with me was 45,000. Before the war was over, that number would grow to 58,220.

As war rages in Gaza, I can’t help but compare it to Vietnam.

According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, the overall Palestinian death toll from the war in Gaza has surpassed 29,000 people. More than 69,000 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead. A quarter of Gaza’s residents are starving.

The war began with Hamas’ assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Israeli military officials said at least 575 soldiers have been killed since the war began.

The conflict has also seen the tragic loss of 88 journalists (83 Palestinian, 2 Israeli, and 3 Lebanese) and over 136 UNRWA aid workers.

If we tally up and compare the numbers, they look like this:

Palestinian deaths: 29,000 and climbing

Israeli deaths: approximately 1,800

If this were a boxing match, the referee would have stopped the fight long ago.

How do these numbers compare to the Vietnam War?

The Vietnam War lasted over 21 years, six months from May/June 1954, when the US violated the 1954 Geneva Agreements on Indochina to December 1975.

In 1995, Vietnam released its official estimate of the number of people killed during the Vietnam War: as many as 2,000,000 civilians on both sides and some 1,100,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters.

With such a vast difference in the number of civilian casualties between the Gaza conflict and Vietnam, why would I think there would be any possibility of history repeating itself?

The common denominator, the glaring fact that points to history repeating itself, is America’s involvement in both conflicts.

The U.S. provided weapons and money to South Vietnam and has done the same for Israel.

But here’s the difference: South Vietnam was under attack from communist North Vietnam, whose troops were advancing, intending to make South Vietnam part of a unified, communist Vietnam.

In the case of Israel vs. Hamas, Israel is advancing into Palestinian territory for the sole purpose of eliminating its sworn enemy, the Hamas armed forces.

Israel has shown no remorse over the number of innocent civilians killed so far in this conflict, and it has given no indication that it is backing off from its ongoing attack.

I don’t support or condone the U.S. providing aid to Israel. It would be a different story if Israel was under attack and needed our assistance. I would get behind that.

But America, once again, has blood on its hands. History is indeed repeating itself.

Will we never learn?