In a world where truth is increasingly manipulated, it is vital to examine the real motives behind warfare. The Israeli-Hamas conflict, now approaching its second year, reveals the stark difference between a nation’s survival and terrorist organizations’ genocidal agendas. When Hamas launched a coordinated attack in October 2023, killing more than 1,200 Israeli civilians and kidnapping 252, the international response quickly shifted from condemning terrorism to accusations against Israel of “genocide.” This reversal, driven by global media outlets and violent pro-Palestinian protests, reflects a deeper battle—one where profit-driven interests align with terrorist propaganda to obscure the reality of Israel’s fight for survival.

As the Israeli Defense Forces responded to Hamas’ brutality, the global narrative, spurred by Hamas’ information operations, began labeling Israel as an apartheid state. The rhetoric, steeped in anti-Semitism, overshadowed Hamas’ own violations of international law. It is a disturbing trend that has seen major global players and institutions, such as the United Nations, turn a blind eye to the fact that terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah embed their military operations within civilian structures—schools, hospitals, and homes—using innocents as human shields.

Despite clear intelligence revealing Hamas’ and Hezbollah’s strategies, the United Nations has failed to create demilitarized zones for civilians or hold Iran accountable for its financial and military support of these terrorist groups. Iran-backed militias continue to attack U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, with over 170 strikes and 186 American casualties from only October 7, 2023, through February 13, 2024. Meanwhile, the United Nations has remained ineffective, its moral authority eroded as it criticizes Israel while turning a blind eye to regimes like China, Venezuela, and Cuba.

Hamas and Hezbollah’s genocidal agendas are clear, but the international response is not. Israel, fighting for its right to exist, faces not only terrorists but a coordinated global effort to paint its defensive actions as aggression. Yet, the hypocrisy is glaring. Iran, which finances Hamas, Hezbollah, and other militant groups, openly calls for the destruction of Israel. Instead of global condemnation, there is silence—except when Israel defends itself.

But this isn’t just about Israel. America’s own national security is at stake, yet recent history shows a dangerous alignment between retired military leaders and defense contractors, fueling a cycle of profit over genuine strategic interests. President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned of the dangers of the military-industrial complex in 1961.

Today, his warning seems more prescient than ever. The revolving door between retired generals and military defense firms where, since June 2018, the Quincy Institute’s research discovered that 80% of 4-star generals who retired went on to work for military defense firms. This trend, Eisenhower foretold, has blurred the lines between a strong defense and retired generals and their firms’ profits, shaping U.S. foreign policy in ways that prolong conflicts and benefit the bottom line of arms manufacturers. At the height of World War II, America had seven officers of the rank of 4-stars compared to a significantly smaller overall force now commanded by 44 officers of the rank of 4-stars.

Take, for instance, the retired four-star generals now serving on the boards of companies like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin—firms that profit from America’s extended military engagements. These same generals, once proponents of failed counterinsurgency strategies, are now silent on critical issues like Iran’s funding of terrorism, the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan, or the ongoing strikes against U.S. forces in the Middle East. Their silence is not just troubling—it is complicit.

What drives these former leaders? Certainly not the protection of American interests or the lives of American servicemembers. Instead, it is the pursuit of profit, hidden behind the facade of national defense. The U.S. released $6 billion in funding to Iran in October 2023, while the State Department assured the public that this money would not be used to fund terrorism.

Yet, Iranian-backed militias continue to strike American forces, and Hamas continues to hold seven Americans hostage in Gaza. The retired generals, who previously openly criticized Trump for considering withdrawal from Afghanistan and Syria, well aware of these dangers, remain silent, their focus seemingly aimed at military escalations from America’s adversaries escalating around the globe and on their lucrative positions rather than the protection of American lives.

In contrast, Israel’s actions—whether in Gaza, Lebanon or against Iran—are focused on one goal: survival. Israel faces daily threats from terrorist organizations that openly call for its destruction. While Israel takes great pains to avoid civilian casualties, its enemies hide behind civilians, using their deaths as a tool in their propaganda war. This is a stark difference in motives: Israel fights to survive, while its enemies and their international enablers profit from prolonged conflict and the distortion of the truth.

The question is no longer whether we can handle the truth—it is whether we are willing to act on it before it is too late.

It is time for the United Nations, the international community, and, most importantly, the American people to wake up to the true reality of this conflict. This is not a war of equals. This is a war of survival for Israel and a war of profit for those retired American generals and their defense firms who benefit from global aggression.

We must choose sides, or America will also be attacked. The choice is clear.

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Major Fred Galvin, USMC (Ret.), led the Marine Corps’ first Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan and is the author of the #1 best-selling book A Few Bad Men. He continues to advocate for truth in military leadership and accountability in national security.