By Mike Ferner
In Fort Wayne, Indiana, this September, I was arrested with a long time activist friend, Cliff Kindy, for blocking the entrance to a Raytheon Corp. facility. We both requested jury trials, and the dates were set for mid-December and early January. Prosecutors dropped the charges in each case, and the trials did not happen.
For my defense, I planned to bring Gaza home to jurors from Allen County, home to Fort Wayne, with wire service photos and by extrapolating the effects of the U.S.-Israeli genocide in Palestine to their own county.
That same approach can be used for any city or county in the U.S. Simply find your population and area, then do the math based on Gaza’s population and area. The genocide statistics were published by Al Jazeera for its summary report on one year of Israel’s U.S.-funded genocide.
U.S. census figures show that Allen County’s population is 395,000—or 18% of Gaza’s 2.2 million people—and its area is 660 square miles, roughly 4.5 times that of Gaza’s 144 square miles.
Here, then, is how to bring Gaza home for your city or county.
✴ Tons of Bombs Dropped
As of October 2024, Israel’s military has dropped nearly 85,000 tons of bombs—591 tons per square mile—on Gaza, far exceeding that dropped on Dresden, Hamburg, and London combined in World War II.
For Allen County the comparable number is 390,000 tons of bombs at 591 tons per square mile.
✴ Casualties
More than 43,000 Palestinian bodies, mostly of women and children, were recovered last year. Many thousands more remain buried under the rubble—reliable reports say up to 200,000. Over 97,000 have been wounded. Anesthesia is rarely available.
For Allen County the comparable numbers (18% of the above) are:
- 7,740 bodies recovered.
- 17,460 wounded.
- Up to 36,000 buried under the rubble.
- Over half are women and children.
✴ Healthcare Infrastructure and Personnel
According to the Gaza Media Office, 34 hospitals and 80 health centers have been put out of service, 162 health institutions were hit by Israeli forces, and at least 131 ambulances were hit and damaged. Israeli attacks on hospitals and the continual bombardment of Gaza have killed at least 986 medical workers including 165 doctors, 260 nurses, 184 health associates, 76 pharmacists, and 300 management and support staff.
For Allen County the comparable numbers are:
- 20 hospitals and health centers destroyed.
- 30 doctors, 47 nurses, 14 pharmacists, and 54 support staff killed.
- 24 ambulances damaged.
✴ Disease
In the past year, 75% of Gaza’s population have been infected with contagious diseases from lack of sanitation, open sewage, and inadequate hygiene. At least 10,000 cancer patients can no longer receive the necessary treatment
For Allen County the comparable numbers are:
- 296,250 people (75% of pop.) infected with diseases from lack of sanitation and open sewage.
- 379,000 people (96% of pop.) endure severe lack of food and have not had access to clean water for months.
- 79,000 face outright starvation.
- 1,800 cancer patients do not receive necessary treatment.
✴ Imprisoned
More than 10,000 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons under grave conditions with at least 250 children and 80 women among them.
For Allen County the comparable numbers are:
- 1,800 residents held in prison, 599 of them without charges.
✴ Buildings damaged and destroyed
According to the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as of January 2024, 60% of Gaza’s residential homes and 80% of all commercial facilities have been damaged or destroyed.
For Allen County the comparable numbers are:
- 100,800 houses damaged or destroyed
- 7,668 businesses damaged or destroyed
✴ After the war
When the bombing finally stops, whoever attempts to rebuild Gaza—for luxury Israeli condos or refugee housing—will be exposed to unexploded ordnance (UXO), asbestos, PCBs, and carcinogenic ingredients from the toxic soup left by exploded bombs and artillery shells.
For example, in a heavily bombed area of Vietnam, Quang Tri Province (1,832 square miles), an intensive campaign to find and destroy UXOs has eliminated over 815,000 of them—everything from 1,000-pound bombs to cluster bombs and grenades. Given the area of Gaza and the tons of bombs dropped on it, some 64,100 UXOs may lie in wait.
For Allen County the number of UXOs would be 293,7000.
Mike Ferner is national director of Veterans For Peace and a former member of Toledo City Council.
Scott says
Something in October also happened but can’t seem to see any description of thoes horrors in the article. Mabey your protest would be more effective in Gaza,the people of fort wayne would probably agree.
Robjr says
US plans $8 billion arms sale to Israel, US official says
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-plans-8-billion-arms-sale-israel-axios-reports-2025-01-04/
Pierre Tristam says
Only $8 billion? Must be just the new-year appetizer.
Al says
What a bunch of crap. You should have tried for outright stupidity. If the city next to mine starts launching missiles and mortars into my town then kidnaps and rapes women, kills children and excuses men I would applauded the leveling of that city.
Enough of you liberal jerks always blaming the US for others outlandish behaviors. You know the old saying if you live in a glass house don’t throw stones. Go teach that to the people of Gaza who cheered the killing of Isrealies that did nothing to them.
Jake from state farm says
Bring the sorrow of Gaza to the people of Iran who are funding Hamas to hide amongst the people of Gaza knowing that Israel will respond to attacks upon them and innocent people will die. Do you think the people of Iran give a damn?
Don’t forget to compare the population of Ft Wayne to the slaughter of 1200 Israelis on October 7th and the 265 taken hostage.
Still waiting on that article discussing Iran’s role and funding of Hamas and what would happen if this funding stopped. What would happen if the world stood up to the source of that funding. You can even include the funding of Iran that the US gave to them that was / is used to fund terrorism.
Sherry says
Just Google stories on how Netanyahu Supported HAMAS:
This from the “Times of Israel” news service 10/23:
Israel has allowed suitcases holding millions in Qatari cash to enter Gaza through its crossings since 2018, in order to maintain its fragile ceasefire with the Hamas rulers of the Strip.
Most of the time, Israeli policy was to treat the Palestinian Authority as a burden and Hamas as an asset. Far-right MK Bezalel Smotrich, now the finance minister in the hardline government and leader of the Religious Zionism party, said so himself in 2015.
According to various reports, Netanyahu made a similar point at a Likud faction meeting in early 2019, when he was quoted as saying that those who oppose a Palestinian state should support the transfer of funds to Gaza, because maintaining the separation between the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza would prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
While Netanyahu does not make these kind of statements publicly or officially, his words are in line with the policy that he implemented.
Eleanor says
U.S. government is now sending billions more to Israel. I firmly believe in Israel’s right to protect itself, but this is not protecting when you are slaying innocent civilians, particularly women & children. This is criminal and we as US citizens should protest to our government.
It looks like we have a lot of cowards in Congress.