Mehdi Hasan: Important to Remember the Context that Gaza Is ‘an Open Air Prison’

WITT First of all ░░░░░░░░ to us what Gaza ░░░░░░░░ is like when it ░░░░░░░░ not in active conflict ░░░░░░░░ Israel Hasan So Alex ░░░░░░░░ s a great question ░░░░░░░░ s an important question ░░░░░░░░ consider tonight because what ░░░░░░░░ in Israel was horrific ░░░░░░░░ heartbreaking And the Israeli ░░░░░░░░ is obviously going to ░░░░░░░░ as you mentioned there ░░░░░░░░ have already been retaliatory ░░░░░░░░ strikes but there s ░░░░░░░░ of escalation of a ░░░░░░░░ invasion of exacting a ░░░░░░░░ And you have to ░░░░░░░░ when we talk about ░░░░░░░░ in the West for ░░░░░░░░ lot of people it ░░░░░░░░ very easy to conflate ░░░░░░░░ which is a militant ░░░░░░░░ that carries out acts ░░░░░░░░ vicious terror as they ░░░░░░░░ this weekend with Gaza ░░░░░░░░ is a place that ░░░░░░░░ 2 2 million people ░░░░░░░░ half of them children ░░░░░░░░ of the 2 2 ░░░░░░░░ people are children And ░░░░░░░░ s one of the ░░░░░░░░ densely populated places on ░░░░░░░░ Earth You ve got ░░░░░░░░ 2 million people crowded ░░░░░░░░ 141 square miles so ░░░░░░░░ automatically become the victims ░░░░░░░░ Israeli airstrikes because it ░░░░░░░░ so crowded because it ░░░░░░░░ so densely populated And ░░░░░░░░ s basically like living ░░░░░░░░ in an open air ░░░░░░░░ And those aren t ░░░░░░░░ words those are the ░░░░░░░░ of the former head ░░░░░░░░ Israeli intelligence just a ░░░░░░░░ months ago Tamir Pardo ░░░░░░░░ said We re treating ░░░░░░░░ like an open air ░░░░░░░░ So that is the ░░░░░░░░ that is so important ░░░░░░░░ us to remember when ░░░░░░░░ talk about Gaza as ░░░░░░░░ kind of strange faraway ░░░░░░░░ people shouting with guns ░░░░░░░░ s actually a real ░░░░░░░░ with real people families ░░░░░░░░ they re living in ░░░░░░░░ conditions Alex You know ░░░░░░░░ percent of Gazans live ░░░░░░░░ poverty 63 percent food ░░░░░░░░ 70 percent of young ░░░░░░░░ unemployed 90 percent of ░░░░░░░░ have no access to ░░░░░░░░ drinking water The U ░░░░░░░░ Secretary General called it ░░░░░░░░ on earth How much ░░░░░░░░ hellish is it going ░░░░░░░░ get in the coming ░░░░░░░░