Gaza’s Grim Facts

Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me

BILL ASTORE

JAN 02, 2026

Today I caught this grim summary on Twitter/X:

The scary part is that the official death toll of 76,134 is an undercount. So many bodies remain under rubble or just plain obliterated by bombs.

Of course, the so-called cease fire in Gaza is anything but as Israel continues its policy of not-so-selective killing and slow strangulation. If you suggest genocide is wrong, the predictable response from the Israeli-U.S. government is that you’re a Hamas terrorist sympathizer and probably an anti-Semite as well (the latter is true even if you’re Jewish). 

Coincidentally, I just took a drink after typing that and started choking. OK, maybe that wasn’t a coincidence.

I remember during Catholic service we’d sing the hymn: “Whatsoever you do to the least my brothers, that you do unto me.” I guess they’re just empty words to all those avowed Christians in the government.

Here are the words to that hymn:

Whatsoever you do
to the least of my brothers
that you do unto me

When I was hungry you gave me to eat,
When I was thirsty you gave me to drink
Now enter into the home of My Father

When I was weary you helped me to
rest, when I was anxious you calmed all
my fears; Now…

When I was homeless you opened you
door when I was naked you gave me
your coat; Now…

When I was little you taught me to read,
When I was lonely you gave me your
love; Now…

When in prison you came to my cell
When on a sick bed you cared for my
needs; Now…

In a strange country you made me at
home seeking employment you found me
a job; Now…

When I was laughed at you stood by my
side when I was happy you shared my
joy; Now…

Amen to that.

One thought on “Gaza’s Grim Facts

  1. [My entry from the Substack site.]

    The bonhomie, the revelry of ringing (wringing?) in the New Year must of necessity be put aside, albeit too soon, in order to address the sober realities carried over from 2025. To wit, how is it possible, how is it conceivable, to see an opening graphic as presented here, as we pass the one-quarter mark of the 21st century? I cannot fathom, other than to conclude forlornly, that we as a species have been unable to advance over the eons, in other than a material sense, beyond what Kubrick depicted in the opening twenty minutes of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” We were able to put on paper the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that’s on the record. From paper to practice… ?

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