The Nexus of Human Collateral and Geopolitics in the Israel-Hamas War
How the West, Iran, civilian casualties, and geopolitics will dictate the outcome of the war
There’s a photo I often revisit of a fellow teammate and a young Iraqi child. A terrorist cell detonated large explosives in a crowded area, prompting a mass casualty evacuation. Terrorists would then use this tactic to lure American soldiers into an ambush while capitalizing on the human collateral. Bodies littered the streets, and in the backs of Humvees, soldiers rushed wounded civilians to base for immediate medical attention.
When events like these happened, there was always a call to donate blood or lend a hand in the clinic. We went to work helping where we could, but more than my memories of the event are the haunting photos. My teammate stands in the background wearing blue surgical gloves, his face sullen and heartbroken. In the foreground, a young Iraqi child, not over 4 years old, cries and clings to a tattered bunny as blood crisscrosses his face and forearms.
For those who have never experienced the battlefield, it’s important to understand that this is a typical occurrence in combat. In the grim reality of war, innocent men, women, and children become the unfortunate casualties, moved around like pawns on a…
