Leaders on both sides are defending mass suffering in Gaza. As civilian deaths mount, it’s time for conscience, not ideology, to lead the way
We live in a time when some leaders defend the starvation of children or justify killing them—openly and without shame. These aren’t fringe voices. They’re in power. And they exist on both sides of one of the world’s most violent conflicts. In moments like this, our only reliable guide is not ideology or loyalty but a well-formed conscience.
It’s often the only thing that keeps us human.
In trying to find clarity, we often look to individuals or groups we think we can trust. But no person or group is perfect. Blind loyalty is dangerous. There’s no substitute for an informed conscience—one that compels us to take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
A key part of developing that conscience is learning to think critically. While there’s no single rulebook for critical thinking, certain principles are essential to our growth as human beings.
One of those principles is humility. None of us knows everything. As a teacher, for instance, I may understand the injustices of the Indian Act in theory, but I don’t have the lived experience of being Indigenous in Canada. That’s why it’s so important to listen, to recognize that I can learn from my Indigenous students and colleagues.
Another is honesty, especially with ourselves. If something feels wrong, I can’t just ignore it. If I feel anger, I must ask where it’s coming from. And if I feel compelled to act, I must act.
That takes courage. Speaking out can come with a cost. Today, people are being fired, harassed, arrested and even physically attacked for following their conscience—for daring to say, “This is wrong.”
And this kind of courage becomes most vital when human life is on the line—nowhere more so than in the conflict unfolding in Israel and Gaza.
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians—which killed more than 1,100 people and saw hundreds taken hostage—Israel has launched a full-scale military campaign in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, has reported that more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed, many of them civilians, and millions have been displaced.
This devastating toll has drawn intense global attention, and with it, inflammatory rhetoric from leaders on both sides.
On Israeli television, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made clear that humanitarian aid to Gaza was not being provided out of compassion. In his words:
“The situation in Gaza today is that we are trying to avoid a humanitarian collapse not out of compassion but because we don’t want the entire world to come down on us. I say this in the most cynical and harsh way possible. We don’t owe anyone anything.”
Meanwhile, former Knesset member Moshe Feiglin took this rhetoric to an even more horrifying extreme. In a 2025 interview on Israeli Channel 14, he said:
“Every child, every baby in Gaza is an enemy. The enemy is not Hamas, nor is it the military wing of Hamas … We need to conquer Gaza and colonize it and not leave a single Gazan child there. There is no other victory.”
Just as some Israeli leaders have voiced alarming views that ignore the value of human life, so too have leaders within Hamas embraced rhetoric that treats mass violence and civilian deaths as acceptable tools of war.
In June 2024, Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, reportedly described the high civilian death toll in Gaza as a “necessary sacrifice” for the liberation of Palestine.
And in an October 2023 interview, senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad openly stated:
“We will repeat the October 7 attack time and again until Israel is annihilated … Everything we do is justified.”
Taken together, these statements suggest something deeper: not just isolated outbursts, but a collapse of moral restraint on all sides.
We’re seeing the consequences of that collapse far beyond the Middle East. Two Israel supporters were recently killed in Washington, D.C.—a horrifying reminder of how far we’ve strayed from basic respect for human life.
Such statements are not revolting because we hate any particular group. They’re revolting because we have a conscience. All people of goodwill are horrified by these sentiments and by the suffering they produce.
Many Jewish and Palestinian people, both in the region and around the world, have spoken out against these dehumanizing narratives. From Israeli human rights groups to Palestinian peace activists, voices of conscience continue to call for restraint, justice and the protection of innocent lives.
That’s why we see record numbers of people protesting around the world, including in Canada, risking their safety to defend the dignity of innocent lives. They understand that starving or killing a child is never justified, no matter their ethnicity or the fears of political leaders. Conscience demands more from us than loyalty to ideology.
Now, more than ever, we must be humble, honest and courageous. We must think critically and act with compassion. That is the path to truth—and to a world where human life is once again treated as sacred.
Gerry Chidiac specializes in languages and genocide studies and works with at-risk students. He received an award from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for excellence in teaching about the Holocaust.
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