To the Editor:

Re “Burrowing Through a Blockade” (column, July 4):

Nicholas D. Kristof finally admits that there is no “full-fledged humanitarian crisis in Gaza” but still condemns Israel, this time arguing that the siege helps gain public support for Hamas in Gaza. Even when Israel took the initiative to leave Gaza in 2005, it was the extremist Hamas that was supported in elections. Mr. Kristof’s notion that Israeli concessions will undermine Hamas is belied by historical experience.

Despite the fact that Hamas won in elections, there is no freedom in Gaza. In 2007 Hamas viciously eliminated a Palestinian Authority presence through violence. There is no civil society, no independent press and no judicial independence. Hamas maintains control by brutal force. The notion that Israeli behavior determines Hamas’s position is pure fantasy.

Every day Israel has to find ways to prevent Hamas from getting weapons to attack Israeli civilians while making sure that the Palestinian civilians have necessary items to live.