"No other country would tolerate rockets fired at its civilians."

Supporters argue that no country would tolerate rockets fired at its civilians. Israel, they say, is simply like any other nation defending its people, responding with measured force. They reference examples like the U.S. responses to 9/11 or NATO actions to justify Israel’s right to respond strongly to rocket threats.

While states facing rocket fire do respond, the scale and context matter. Between 2001–2014, Hamas and similar groups launched around 2,700 rockets into Israel, killing relatively few but inflicting widespread trauma: in areas like Sderot, nearly 50% of children exhibit PTSD symptoms and injury rates remain high.

However, Israel’s response, blockade, repeated military operations with significant civilian toll, and punitive restrictions, extends beyond defending civilians. Comparable conflicts involving other countries (e.g., Ukraine, Nigeria, Croatia) saw rocket attacks met with targeted defense and international scrutiny, not sweeping sieges and siege-like military campaigns.