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In an exclusive and unflinching interview with India Today Global, renowned Israeli journalist and author Gideon Levy offers a searing critique of his own country's role in the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. Speaking from Tel Aviv, Levy- long regarded as one of the most courageous dissenting voices within Israel- calls out what he terms the "brutal, barbaric" campaign being carried out against the Palestinian people.
From the October 7 Hamas attacks to the relentless Israeli military response that has left tens of thousands dead, Levy lays bare the historical context, present crisis, and potential future of a region caught in endless cycles of violence and vengeance. Unapologetically outspoken, he rebukes the international community’s inaction and urges for the kind of global pressure and sanctions that helped dismantle apartheid in South Africa, saying: “Do to Israel what you did to South Africa.”
Levy also challenges the weaponization of antisemitism to silence criticism, stating that most critics of Israeli policies today are “people of conscience.” As calls for a ceasefire grow louder, Levy’s voice cuts through the noise- demanding moral clarity, international accountability, and, above all, an end to the suffering.
This is an interview the world cannot afford to ignore.
Q: I'd like to begin with October 7th. Now, a lot of people across the world who have hardly followed the problems between Israel and Palestine, or for that matter, particularly to do with what's been happening in Gaza, think that October 7th is the beginning of everything. Nobody condones, nobody's saying what happened on October 7th was not a dastardly act. But give us a historical perspective. Put things in perspective, Gideon, what's happening on the ground? What has Israel been doing in the past? And can there be a way forward?
A: No. October 7th was a turning point, but it did not come out of the blue sky. And the Israelis who tend to explain it as if one shining morning the Palestinians decided to slaughter Jews for nothing, they are living in denial.
The Gaza Strip is a very small piece of land, not only in Indian terms, but also in Israeli terms, in which there is a highly populated population. 2.3 million people, most of them refugees from 1948 who were expelled from their homes and villages and fields when the Jewish state was established in Israel in 1948. They were living in Gaza. They were living quite in bad conditions, mainly in refugee camps for many, many years and decades, until the Six-Day War came and Israel had conquered Gaza and it became part of Israel, part of its occupied territories.
In the year of 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza, but Gaza remained the biggest cage in the world, the biggest prison in the world, because Israel was in a state of crisis. Israel put a siege over Gaza by air, by water, and by territory. All the entries and exits were controlled by Israel and most of the time blocked for most of the people of Gaza. They couldn't get out, they couldn't get in. And from time to time, there were some explosions coming out of Gaza, sending rockets toward Israel, which always brought a very... brutal reaction from Israel.
Operations every two, three years, created a lot of damage and casualties in the Gaza Strip. Gaza is run by Hamas, which is a fundamentalistic Islamic movement, which does not agree to recognize Israel- they are the government of Gaza. On the 7th of October, hundreds of Palestinian fighters or terrorists, you can call them as you wish, crossed the border, which was a very sophisticated and well-built border, a barrier that could hardly be crossed under the ground and above the ground, but they succeeded in crossing it, hundreds and hundreds on motorcycles and pickup cars. And did really a slaughter in the kibbutz, in the south of Israel. 1,200 people were killed on this day. Horrible scenes.
A few hundred were taken hostage, I went there the day after and it looked horrible. Really, they were shooting people in a nature party, hundreds of young people and people in their homes and children and women and everything. Horrible.
But ever since then, Israel decided that after those atrocities, Israel has the right to do whatever it wants. And it started a war over Gaza. Itis mainly a brutal, barbaric attack over Gaza, which until now killed at least 53,000 people, 16 or 17,000 children, and the worst of all, almost 1,000 children. Almost 1,000 babies, which were not yet one year old.
This war is not ending. It has not ended until now. Israel continues to bomb Gaza, to move the population there as if they were a bunch of sheep. The catastrophe in Gaza is maybe the biggest catastrophe right now in the current century.
Q: It seems like the Israeli explanation to this is that it's now or never, that they need to finish Hamas. Does that fly? Is that an acceptable explanation?
A: I have very little support to end Hamas. It's not like my cup of tea, obviously. But what you didn't achieve in 20 months or 21 months already, you will not achieve in another 21 months. Now it's really killing for the sake of killing. Destruction for the sake of destruction. If they couldn't kill all the Hamas activists and replace Hamas. By the way, Israel has no clue who is going to replace Hamas. But in any case, what you didn't achieve until now, you will never achieve. And there are certain goals which are unachievable and you have to realize it
Q: The other argument that Israel puts is that when we talk about civilians dying, that they're used as human shields by Hamas. But when we ask about why they are there and why are they human shields? That they've not been allowed to leave Gaza even if they wanted to and wished to. That Gaza today is, as has been said, the world's largest open prison and nobody has been allowed to leave. The dying of starvation, not just of bullets and bombs getting in, but of starvation.
A:Yes. Of human shields- when 2.3 million people are living in such a small piece of land, where exactly do you want Hamas to build its headquarters? There are no open spaces in Gaza. Everything is, everyone is a human shield because Gaza is highly populated, one of the most highly populated places on Earth. And what about the Israeli hypocrisy? I live in a very peaceful neighborhood of Tel Aviv. Around me, there are three military headquarters, military and security headquarters. What will you say about this? The biggest hospital of Tel Aviv is a few hundred meters away from the headquarter of the Israeli army. What will you say about this? Would you blame Israel for using the patients of this hospital as a human shield? The neighborhood that I live here, as a human shield. So let's put away all those arguments by the Israeli propaganda. The fact is that Israel had killed tens of thousands of innocent people and this fact has no justification whatsoever.
Q: Those are strong words coming from you and you've been speaking about it. You've been quite vociferous about it. But a lot of people also criticize people like you and I, Gideon, who might be questioning Israel. Who are being anti-Semitic, especially people who are not Jews like me.
A: Israeli propaganda, the Israeli strategy in recent years found a very efficient way to silence the world and to criminalize any critics about Israel. Namely, anyone who dares to say something bad about Israel, to criticize Israel, even Israeli friends who really care about Israel, even Jews who care about Israel. If you dare to say some critical things about Israel, immediately you are labeled as an anti-Semite.
So I want to tell you that most of the critics of Israel today, not all of them, but most of the critics of Israel in the world today are people of conscience. They have nothing to do with anti-Semitism. When you see the dying babies in the hospitals of Gaza, the starving babies in the streets, the women, the children, the destruction, what are you supposed to feel? To salute those who are responsible for it? Or to scream and attack them and talk against them and criticize them? What does this have to do with anti-Semitism? Calling free Palestine is a very legitimate call. What does this have to do with anti-Semitism?
So there is anti-Semitism, there are anti-Semites, and they should be fought. Many of them use the current situation in order to come out from the closet, so to say. But by the end of the day, most of the critics about Israel today are genuine moral critics and I support it.
Q: I'll come to the issue of Gaza again, but coming to you, Gideon Levy, you live in Tel Aviv. You write against these. early government, particularly the Netanyahu administration. Has it been difficult at least in the recent past to do your job the way you do it? To speak truth to power?
A: It wasn't difficult.From the point of view of the government, the secret services, the IDF, the establishment has not touched me. It is trying to attack my newspaper, but until now not very successfully. To stop publishing in my newspaper, to stop all the governmental subscriptions, but we can stand it. Until now, we still gain total freedom where it is much harder than in the street, which is usually in times of war and you know it, from your own country, becomes more nationalistic and less tolerant and many times also racist and militaristic and this becomes harder. For example, the Israeli TV, in which I used to appear quite often, totally banned me ever since the war started. But let's remember, I'm really not the victim of the war, the victims of the war are in Gaza.
Q:Setting everything else aside - the politics, the land, the conflict- how do you view the stark reality that aid and food are simply not reaching the people of Gaza? The result is widespread starvation and malnutrition. Some of the images and videos I’ve seen of children from Gaza — Gideon, I can’t unsee them. They stay with you. At some point, someone has to be accountable and answerable for this. How do you see that responsibility?
A: The one who is accountable for this is a criminal of war and those are the decision makers of Israel. From the prime minister to the heads of the army. It's not only about food, it's also about medicines. People are dying by the dozens because of lack of medical treatment and lack of medicine. They are dying because Israel is bombing the hospitals in Gaza with all kinds of excuses. Most of them are based on lies. This is unforgivable and it is really the task, the role of the international community to do something about it. It's impossible that this catastrophe will continue and the world will stay aside and do nothing about it. I'm not speaking about demonstrations, I'm not speaking about protests and petitions. The world should take some measures because this slaughter is going on while we are talking
Q: I am reminded of Norman Finkelstein, who once said that, for somebody whose parents had suffered the Holocaust, to see what he's seeing is unfathomable. How would you characterize what's happening in Gaza today? Genocide, very near Holocaust—if I say that, I could very well be trolled for it—but how would you categorize what's happening in Gaza today?
A: Let's put aside the Holocaust, because it was really a unique phenomena. This was a systematic mass killing of millions with gas chambers. I mean, let's put it aside and not compare anything. Because, if we compare it, we will soon realize that it's nothing to compare and then we say okay so it's not so bad- what's going on in Gaza. So, let's put this aside.
Until recent days, I didn't use the word “genocide”. I thought that we should leave it to the Court of Justice, who is hopefully about publishing their resolution about it.I don't know why it takes them so much time. By the time they will end their discussions, I am afraid there will be not many people left in Gaza or at least not alive. But they take their time- months and months and months and months. I don't know why. Really, I don't know why. Either it is a genocide, or not. How much can you discuss it for god's sake.
But in any case, the legal definition should be theirs.
But, in the last two weeks, I see the daily slaughtering of people who are queuing for aid in Gaza, for some kind of food supply- thousands of people who have to wait in four stations all around Gaza city. Two million people with four stations of aid. Each of them is open only one hour a day. Can you believe how cruel it is? And they are being shot dead systematically. My newspaper, Haaretz published an investigation that commanders of the IDF are giving orders to shoot them. This looks like genocide.
Q: Are you disappointed in the international community that the world has not shown the outrage that they showed when Russia invaded Ukraine? They have shown in other wars that there's sanctions, whereas Israel moves with impunity?
A: I'm disappointed and not disappointed. On one hand, I'm very disappointed. It's not only Russia. Remember South Africa-the first apartheid state? Israel is the second one. The world knew very well what to do and it was very effective. If not for the international community, South Africa till today, would have been an apartheid state and we both know it. But the world intervened, not in talking, not in declaration, not in condemnations, but in action. The same should have been with Israel.
On the other hand, I'm not disappointed because I didn't expect much. Israel is the darling of the West. Israel is, first of all, the darling of the United States, especially under this very weird administration led by Donald Trump. Israel can do whatever it wants, until now at least.
I hope it will end now and maybe it will, but the real disappointment is the lack of connection between popular sentiments all over the world. The public opinions all over the world- their heart goes to the Palestinians and the governments- most of them, if not all of them, in the West, in Europe, and the United States- the governments are covering it up, doing nothing, really nothing, to save Gaza.
Q: There's a live situation, an ongoing situation of the hostage crisis. There are hostages that Hamas took and there are some who are still alive and need to be rescued. Do you think Netanyahu could have done this differently and saved hostages and where do you see the hostage problem really go from here?
A: The hostages could have been released and many more of them would have been alive now, because many of them died in captivity. They could have been released immediately if Netanyahu would have been ready to stop the war and to release the Palestinian prisoners. It was on the table. Almost from day one he refused and he still refuses. The hostages will be released only if Israel will put an end to the war and pull out the troops and obviously release hundreds if not thousands of Palestinian prisoners. If this doesn't happen, the hostages will either die or be tortured to death in their captivity. It's horrible. Horrible. But it really depends on Netanyahu and most of the anger in Israel told him that the hostages were never his first priority in this war. It is a betrayal. It is a betrayal.
Q: Again a very strong statement coming from you Gideon, but why do you think the war is this prolonged? Is Netanyahu on a personal mission- is this more than just taking on Hamas and taking out Hamas?
A: Yeah, sure it is. First of all, Netanyahu enjoys the doubt, but he also enjoys the credit of being with an ideology. Unlike most of my friends who think that he is just a cynical politician, who thinks only about himself, I also believe that there is some ideology behind it. A horrible ideology, but ideology. Namely, he does not believe in any kind of agreements with the Palestinians, any kind of negotiations with the Palestinians. He never believed in it. He doesn't believe they deserve the same rights like the Jews. This piece of land and he says so. So that's the first obstacle.
The second obstacle is that he is also fighting over his political career, he's fighting over his criminal trial on quite serious charges. So everything is mixed- his political and personal ambitions together- with his ideological goals, and all together shape his policy, which is almost a criminal one. I must remind you and your viewers that Benjamin Netanyahu is wanted by the criminal court. Indeed, it's not something simple- to be wanted by this supreme court which is the most important court in the world.
Q: But he's also the man who is now being supported by Donald Trump. Absolute supportive, in fact, saying that this is a political witch hunt and that it should stop because he's a war hero?
A: It tells you more about Donald Trump than about Netanyahu.
Q: True that. Again, I have to ask you this- how is there going to be any solution to this crisis if the Trump administration continues backing Netanyahu in the manner that they are, and if the West on the one hand, have very strong words to say about what's happening in Gaza, but on the other hand, they keep arming and supporting Israel with weapons and jets?
A: It really depends on one person and this is Donald Trump. It is, as you know, very hard to foresee if Donald Trump wants this war to end. He just declared today that he's going to meet Netanyahu next week and he's going to put pressure on him to end the war. I don't know how serious it is because he can wake up tomorrow morning and say the opposite. But if he wants this war to be over, he can do it within days with one phone call, because Israel depends on the United States more than ever and Israel cannot go on with the war in Gaza without the support of theUnited States. So therefore, there is a good chance it will end now. Even the Israeli army says there are no more goals in Gaza so it's really slaughtering for the sake of slaughtering. I hope that Donald Trump will do what he did in Iran and put an end to the war like he did with the war in Iran but I cannot guarantee and I cannot say count on Donald trump for god’s sake.
Q: Okay, but then there is a solution that the Arabs are putting out that's called the Arab Plan for Gaza, drawn up by Egypt, backed by many countries, including some of the Western allies like UK, France, Italy and Germany. Where do you see this plan? Is this a viable option for Israel and for Palestine?
A: Not really, because Hamas is still the power on the ground. I don't know who they plan to replace Hamas. I didn't hear until now who is going to replace Hamas. Someone has to take care of Gaza. Who is it going to be?
But for me, the main goal now is to stop this slaughtering. The moment there will be a ceasefire, then, you know, we will start to think about who is going to replace it. Above all, who is going to rehabilitate Gaza. Don't forget we are dealing with a population of over 2 million people, all of them, either handicapped, traumatized, poor, starving, sick, endless orphans. Someone has to take care of all this, and I don't see who it's going to be.
But first of all, let's stop it, because every day, in many cases, over 100 a day, people are being killed, hundreds of them being injured. And this should stop immediately before anything.
Q: You've said that the two-state solution died a long time ago. You've also spoken about the bi-national state. Explain to us how that would work. Explain to us if there is a way forward, should the international community actually sanction Israel?
A: The two-state solution is the best solution, because two peoples are struggling over one piece of land. Let's share the land, I think. It could be really a very proper compromise for both sides. The only problem is that this is a train that left the station a long time ago, and there are no signs that this train can come back. In the West Bank, which is the occupied Palestinian part of Palestine, but occupied by Israel, obviously. In the West Bank, they are already leaving seven hundred thousand jewish settlers. They are the strongest political pressure group in Israel. Some of them are very violent. They are militias. They are armed people. Who is going to evacuate them? 700,000 people. Who is going to evacuate them?
I don't see any Israeli leader who will be capable of evacuating them. Without their evacuation, there is practically no room for a viable Palestinian state. So if someone will come and tell me, listen, we can do it, there will be a viable Palestinian state, we will evacuate all those settlers, I’ll bless him. There is no better solution than this, but continuing to talk about the two-state solution and knowing that it's not achievable anymore is the biggest crime, because by this you say, okay, we have a solution. It's not pliable. Let's wait for the Messiah.
And meanwhile, one generation after generation of Palestinians will live under this brutal occupation, without any vision.
I think that if there are now practically two options, one is that the apartheid state will stay forever, which I don't exclude this option, if the world will continue to accept it, there will be an apartheid state forever in Palestine and Israel. The other option is to go for democracy. Democracy between the river and the sea, equality between the river and the sea, those basic principles of a democracy. Nothing outrageous. Equality, that's all, one person, one vote. It's a long way to go because both parties will have to give up all kinds of national dreams they had, but I don't see any better way.
Q: Finally, the spillover. We've seen the war expand into the region, and now we've seen reasons Netanyahu has had to even attack or take the war to Iran. How do you see the tensions in the Middle East, in West Asia, as we call it, and where do you see those tensions really- the fallout of this war in many ways than one- that we'd be seeing in the region as well in terms of stability of the region?
A: There will be never stability in the region and never security to Israel as long as the Palestinian problem is not solved in a just way. Not total justice because we cannot get total justice, but some kind of justice. As long as this is not solved, all the agreements and the accords and the treaties, as promising as they will be, we will always live under this dark cloud of the Palestinians. Five, six million people are living under one of the most brutal tyrannies in the world. And this will always bring new explosions. If you want stability, first solve the Palestinian problem. And right now, nobody is seriously trying to solve it. And therefore, everything will be achieved. We are speaking about peace between Israel and Syria. Wonderful. Israel and Saudi Arabia, great. But as long as this bleeding wound continues to bleed, nothing will be stable.
Q: My final question to you, Gideon Levy, the fact that we are looking at a very grim, dark future for the people of Palestine, doesn't seem like there's a solution in sight, but, and we've seen international organizations, absolutely toothless tigers, nothing that they've done or said has led to any retraction or any stopping Netanyahu from carrying out his actions. Having said that, are there countries who can individually do and what can they do to really stop Israel?
A: I'll give you a very brief answer. Whatever you have done for fighting apartheid in South Africa, do the same. Do the same. It was very effective, then to do the same. Isolate, boycott- whatever it is, will make the Israelis accountable for what they are doing and pay a price for it. There is no other way. They will not voluntarily put an end to all those atrocities and crimes. It will happen only if they are forced to do so. And the only way to do it is exactly like South Africa. When the South African couldn't play rugby in the world, it was the beginning of the end. When the business people of South Africa came to the government and told them we cannot go on like this, it was the beginning of the end of the apartheid. The same will be valid about Israel and the occupation.
- Ends
Published By:
indiatodayglobal
Published On:
Jul 3, 2025
