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.
Jake From State Farm says
@Eleanor – how do you feel about Iran funding Hamas and Hamas hiding behind the innocent civilians? How do you feel about the Israelis still being held by Hamas, again hiding behind innocent civilians? What should be done about it? Every time there a “cease fire” Hamas violates it. How do you feel about that?
Kennan says
It amazes me that given the facts on the ground in Gaza, that there are still people that think there is an exchange rate on human life. people who feel comfortable putting their ignorance and bigotry on display.
Jake From State Farm says
Then promote something that will make it stop. Telling Israel to sit there while their people our being killed, and held hostage, and there is cease fire after cease fire while Hamas continues to launch rockets at them isn’t going to do it. Start blaming Iran funds Hamas and who does not give a shit about the Palestinians and loves it when Israel kills them because people like you just blame Israel and ignore the source of the problem.
Pierre Tristam says
“Telling Israel to sit there.” Always the absurd exaggeration to avoid addressing the issue: collective punishment completely and indefensibly—criminally—out of proportion with the Oct 17 crimes. But that’s how war crimes are justified: always focus on some original wrong, repeat, rinse (with blood), repeat, etc., and deflect, deflect, deflect.
Jake From State Farm says
And Pierre, except for your fantastic few word editorial on the radio, when do you ever stand up and go back and blame the source? We keep having this discussion. You blame Israel. Yep innocent people are being slaughtered. ….. if you want it to stop, YOU stop deflecting and go to the source and YOU stop avoiding the issue. Iran funds this slaughter by supporting Hamas and and laughs when people like you just blame Israel and do their bidding. Hamas hides behind innocents and Israel is not going to stop just to have another ceasefire put in place until the next time Hamas comes kills more Israelis and takes more hostages. Blame the source, Iran funding Hamas, and Hamas hiding behind innocent people.
JC says
Tell Gaza to dump Hamas. After all, Hamas’s main goal is to destruction of the Jewish State (which is what they teach everyone in Gaza, even when they are children). If they want to be killed for their cause, then let them get their punishment because the world don’t give a crap about them.
Ask Lebanon to take the Gazans. Oh wait, the Palestinians aren’t welcomed in Lebanon.
Ed P says
Anyone who has ever witnessed first hand the brutality of war and the reality that there are never winners, but only survivors, would not be debating the right or wrong of any conflict.
War is ugly. It can not be fought on the internet or social media. The brutality is beyond the tolerance level of most civilized, rational humans. In the name of war, killing is justified and somehow killing is most humane part of the process.
We fool the public by calling Warriors, soldiers, or our military. Sounds better.
We pretend that there are rules of engagement. There are not. We pretend it’s not our fault, or it’s a just cause. Can it ever be?
I realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion. Sadly, there will never be solutions.
War is as old as man kind and we will never evolve enough to all live in peace and harmony. That’s just reality. We can’t even tolerate our neighbors anymore.
Kennan says
First of all. For those of you like to talk about the brutality of war without a hint of understanding that this conflict is really not award at all. You have a militant group, formidable, yes, but not an army. A militant group that was put in power by Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel in the first place. With money from Qatar. war as hell. I haven’t been in a war, but I don’t necessarily need to have been in a war to know the difference or qualify.
The pretzel logic and verbal gymnastics I constantly hear from people that realize justifying the unjustifiable is not so much amusing as it is sad. If you don’t know after 14 months that this is a genocide, it’s possible that the foundation of the conversation may never be had
We have really lost our way. Our moral compass has spun so far out of control. I’m surprised we’re all not simultaneously vomiting.
The only thing equally as bad as this genocide is the deliberate and continue denial of it in the face of the most well” documented” genocide in history.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel have made October 7, an afterthought with the supercharged act of industrial terrorism inflicted on Gaza. State sponsored by a country that causes itself the most democratic country in the Middle East. Tear administered with an aBenjamin Netanyahu and Israel have made October 7, an afterthought with the supercharged act of industrial terrorism inflicted on Gaza. State sponsored by a country that causes itself the most democratic country in the Middle East. Tear administered with an avalanche of billions of dollars of support by the US to do what? Destroy Hamas? For 14 months the most democratic country in the Middle East has killed well over 100,000 civilians in Gaza if you even attempt to count bodies under rubble. 75% of said civilians are women and children.
Israel’s advanced military was able to” pinpoint” Ishmael Hania in a guest house in Iran and blow it up killing him. No.pinpointism in Gaza though. This is being done by design. Netanyahu never wanted a two state solution. He said it many times. What has happened in Gaza is 100 times the number of October 7, 2023. Nobody condones October 7 but facts are facts.
Israel went after a militant terrorist group with one of the most powerful militaries on earth.
Let’s be honest. Israel doesn’t know exactly where Hamas is, nor do they care. They have another agenda. It’s playing out before our eyes and they’re not trying to hide it.
Just this week and other international food convoy was attacked and vans were riddled with bullets.
Israel has killed more than 200 journalists, more than 200 UN workers, has thrown families out of their homes in the West Bank. Israel has regularly stormed already severely debilitated hospitals and arrested doctors and nurses without reason. Israel has used 501,000 and 2000 pound bombs to level hospitals, mosques, schools, refugee camps, and cemeteries. Cemeteries.!!!!!! 500,000 Gazans are in danger of starvation because Israel will not allow humanitarian aid in the Gaza. Water and electricity were turned off on day one a war crime in an occupied territory. On day one. A war crime according to the Geneva convention. Day one.
It’s funny we do all this talking about
“ cancel culture” in this country yet here we are supporting Israel with billions of dollars and weapons to cancel an entire culture. The US does this while having the audacity to say they want a.” cease-fire,” but vote against it in the UN seven times. Propublica and the state department’s refugee Bureau tell secretary of state Anthony Blinken there is ethnic cleansing, and war crimes happening in regards to lack of humanitarian aid. Blinking then lies to Congress by saying nothing. Nothing. 80% of Capitol Hill is bought and paid for by Israel lobbies like AIPAC and others, all while student protesters and professors are beaten to a pulp, while erroneously being called Hamas supporters when they are really supporting Palestinian human rights. Israeli protesters join in the fund by attacking students while they are doing the most patriotic thing you can do. March for human rights. Israel conflates Hamas with Palestinians because they hope the average American is as dumb or evil as they are, and if you criticize what Israel is doing in Gaza, then you are an anti-semite. Stop the flow facts. Stop the conversation. Are we getting dizzy yet? Our leader support this? We are cool with this? This is the Arab holocaust of the 21st-century and they are just getting started.
6 million Jews were killed in the holocaust of World War II, but to turn around three years later and kick 750,000 people off their land so you can have your own, based on tenuous Bible passages that tell the world that you are the chosen people. Nobody suggests that Israel could not have territories in 1948, but the way they did it with the support of the United States and Great Britain is the problem. A subjugation that has lasted 77 years. A occupation that has lasted 58 years. In the last 20 years, Gaza has been nothing less than an open air prison and a concentration camp. Run by Israel. Controlled by Israel. Calorie restricted diets. Check points, and a few nice aerial assaults called.” mowing the lawn.” in case Palestinians get any ideas about fighting against their subjugation and for their freedom.
The head of the snake is not Iran. It’s the US and Israel. The US and Israel have created the kind of desperation we see in the Middle East, our administrations over the decades, change the narrative to make Arabs and or Muslims all seem like terrorists. Again, I do not condone terrorism, but we have created much of it. Iran supports Hezballah in proxy form because of the atrocities hammered down on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, much like the proxy wars that we have had our hands in in Korea, Vietnam, the Iran, Iraq, war, and operation Iraqi freedom. Really? Our freedom certainly has never been under attack since World War II, but that’s the narrative we have to play for our own interests. I’m beginning to think we don’t know what they are anymore. Al, Ed,Jake and others…. It’s time to call a spade a spade. To see the truth for what it is. It sure as hell is a lot easier to sell then the bullshit I see being pushed. Lying gets tiring.
The international court of justice. The international criminal court. The UN. Amnesty international among others, in about 80% of the planet all know this is genocide, ethnic cleansing, and the complete cancellation of an entire race of people. To put one race of people above all others. Even our own. all because they have a better lobby and pay our politicians. All politicians left and right. This is an a liberal thing or a right wing thing. This is an American thing. A stain. A stench. Is this who we are? Apparently it is. Don’t defend the indefensible. It’s unbecoming.
Jake From State Farm says
Wow… just so much here I don;t know where to start….
“Al, Ed,Jake and others…. It’s time to call a spade a spade. ” – I have been calling a spade a spade….. stop the funding of Hamas by Iran, stop Hamas from hiding behind the skirts of innocent Palestinians. Stop the problem at the source. Then come back to me if the slaughter and kidnapping of innocent civilians continues…. Then address the next problem. If it makes you feel better, look at it like taking away an excuse from Israel from doing what they are doing. Until you cut the head of the snake you are not going to stop the killing.
With this comment “If you don’t know after 14 months that this is a genocide, it’s possible that the foundation of the conversation may never be had” I have to believe you really are not saying this started 14 months ago. !4 months ago was just another broken cease fire, another death of innocents, again funded and pushed by Iran because they know exactly what Israel will do and know that people like you will say NOTHING about the cause of the problem only react to dead civilians. Once the killing stops and there are no more dead civilians and people like you stop screaming…. They push Hamas to start it all over again and Israel will respond. Iran will laugh and you will starting saying how bad Israel is. Wake the F up. Take away the “excuse” (if that makes you feel better) and place the blame and scream for the world to take action against the source of the problem IRAN.
Kennan says
Wow, that was a lot. of course it didn’t start 14 months ago. That was my whole point. There’s a history behind this 77 year history behind all this. And the only ones walking away from the negotiating table is Israel. Continually. Did you hear anything I said, or did you just cherry pick the things you found most personally offensive?
The rest of the world knows what this is. The optics are bad. It’s embarrassing. Israel owns Gaza. They occupy Gaza. Very easy to push all these lies when we’re 7000 miles away. The whole world sees what’s happening in real time. I don’t know what else to do. You don’t have to be a genius. You just have to know the history. The 24 second new cycle makes it very easy. It’s hard to look away from the truth when it’s video played in front of your eyes every day. Even though everything I gave you was the tip of the iceberg, but still rather nuance I thought. Reality boys. Reality. Just live in reality. I’m tired now. I’m gonna go.
Ed P says
Kennan,
Just caught your summary on the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict.
First, don’t put words into my mouth or lump me into a group. I have never commented/posted any opinion on the situation other than my above post which was nothing more than my fatigue of listening to competing opinions about who is just or unjust. I haven’t exposed my opinion of which side was right or wrong.
You are 100% correct that it should end. My point was that war is a tragedy without winners because civilians are always the victims.
Secondly, You are right though, that you don’t have to have been in a theater of war as a warrior or civilian to understand the conflict but you will NEVER understand the brutality until you live it, see it, smell it, sleep with it, and cry about it.
It’s nothing like a movie or a video game.
Kennan says
Ed, I posted a reply, but I don’t know where it went. Anyway, if it shows up later, so be it. Things can get very contentious at times. I want to take this opportunity just to say that given my experience in the Middle East in my background, my contention overall is that this conflict is really not a war at all. However; I wanna take this opportunity to thank you. Thank you for keeping it real, and a thank you for being a gentleman about it. Whether you realize it or not, you made me think about a few things. If I spoke out of turn about the brutality of war I apologize. not what I meant to do. Honestly, I think we all need each other on this platform. I will always push back against anybody that apologizes for what Israel is doing in Gaza. The debate is healthy. As long as nobody says anything racist or really horrible then I guess we’re all cool. Again. Thank you.
Again
Kennan says
Pardon the typos and gaffs. Talk to text can get a little interesting. Especially when I’m pissed.
Kennan says
One more thing. You can blame Iran all you want for being a proxy to push back on what’s happening in Gaza. The USA has been the king of proxies for decades and somehow when we do it, it’s OK. There’s a reason for all of this. Iran is not innocent, but that doesn’t give anyone the excuse to smoke screen what Israel is doing away. This is a genocide. A real genocide. Purposely targeting civilians and using Hamas as an excuse to kill everyone. Everyone knows it.
Stop defending the indefensible. Stop justifying the unjustifiable. You can cry Iran, all you want, but that does not take away from the ethnic cleansing, the war crimes of Benjamin Netanyahu, and the genocide we see before us. The international court of Justice. The international criminal court. The United Nations and amnesty international among many others consider Netanyahu and his minions war criminals. It’s obvious, but what do we do? We give the rest of the world, the finger and flood billions and billions of dollars to Israel to continue killing everyone. I don’t mean to sound arrogant. I really don’t, but I’m tired of holding hands and spoon feeding the obvious to so many. It’s shocking that so many are purposely blind. It’s like living in an alternate universe. It’s crazy. Please understand this is not just personal for me because of my experience in the Middle East and because of my knowledge of the Middle East. It’s personal to me because I’m an American, and this is not what Americans stand for. This is not what this country is supposed to stand for. It’s an unbelievable example of international entitlement. Proving to the rest of the world that the US and Israel are so far above the law, that nothing they do can be scrutinized or punished or questioned.
One more thing. This is important. Gaza is an occupied territory. Israel has the strongest military in the region. A superpower of sorts supported by American weaponry. When you occupy and control an area, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. Killing women and children in an open air concentration camp that you control. Israel has the technology to kill a Hamas negotiator in a guest house in Iran. Let me repeat that. Israel has the technology to kill a Hamas negotiator in a guest house in Iran, but they can’t get or know who they’re getting in Gaza. Kill them all! Tell them to move to the east, tell them to move to the west, go to RAFA. Everywhere they go, they die. I don’t know why I bother, but I can assure you the more dismissive people are about what’s going on, the more I’m gonna push back. With facts. Nuanced facts. It’s Palestinians and Gazans I speak and fight for. Not Hamas. Don’t get it confused. That’s the smoke screen and the BS so many pedal. To take everybody’s eyes off what’s really happening. Wake up.