NORFOLK, Va. — Hundreds gathered at Old Dominion University Thursday night to hear from former U.S. National Security Advisor Lt. General H.R. McMaster.
While he was there to give a lecture on empathy in international relations, the Israel-Hamas War was something on everyone’s mind. Six days in, 2,800 people have died and 423,000 have been displaced in Gaza.
He spoke of the atrocities amid the war between Israel and Hamas militants, and how he thinks the next days and weeks of this war will go.
"What a timely moment for this lecture. I am sure that most of us are here tonight because we want to engage in our world, no matter how painful and complex it can be at times," said ODU's Community Engagement Liaison, Cathy Lewis, as she introduced McMaster.
As the former National Security Advisor took the stage, he wasted no time in talking about what is going on in the Middle East.
"We have seen incredible brutality and inhumanity in Israel as Hamas conducted these heinous attacks against innocents," he said.
He said for many, it can be hard to fathom, but for people who have worked in national security and the military and have seen the 'enemies of all humanity,' they are not surprised by this.
"We've seen that evil up close," he said.
McMaster said that historically speaking, what we’re seeing from Hamas today is nothing new.
"Hamas equals Isis equals Al-Qaeda," McMaster said. "They use ignorance to fuel hatred... they use that hatred to justify violence against innocents."
He said that 'evil' demands a united front.
"We all stand together with tremendous resolve and especially support those who are fighting on this modern-day frontier," he said. "In the near term, it's really important to engage directly against these modern day barbarians and kill or capture them because our security depends on that. These are people who I do not believe are reconcilable, who can be brought around to see things differently."
When asked how to responsibly end the war when Hamas seems to be aiming for annihilation, McMaster said it looks like the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) could be trying to destroy the organization.
"I think it would entail first of all trying to evacuate civilians out of Gaza and doing everything possible to get them, to get the Egyptians to open the border and set up adequate screening at the border," McMaster said.
He said that way, Israel can attack with fewer restrictions and seize key points of the city.
Looking long term, McMaster thinks a major diplomatic effort is needed to create an international peacekeeping organization.
"I think there has to be a major diplomatic effort to enlist countries to form an international security and peacekeeping organization that will reconstitute some kind of a Palestinian-based security force in Gaza," he said. "You’re going to need what is viewed as a neutral force there that will not allow Hamas to morph into something else," McMaster said.
He also predicts that the current campaign could be sustained for the foreseeable future.
As for how the U.S. might get involved, he said if it turns into a multi-front war for Israel, that would likely come in the form of surveillance and strike capabilities.