But none of that is the issue in Gaza.
Hamas could have had free elections all along. They would not be in power. The Gazans could have negotiated a separate country all along.
Instead Hamas has declared war all along. Israel has protected itself all along.
If you want to talk legal rights of the individual you need to start with the power structure. Hamas threw that into chaos and war and not just as of October.
An honest governing power in Gaza from 2006 forward would have worked it out.
Gazans had no rights under Hamas. That was not Israel’s choice.
Hamas is part of the Muslim Brotherhood. If you support them do you want to see more Brotherhood wars in several other Arab countries?
Netanyahu has faced several free elections. He is a hater. He sees an enemy and he hates. The Israeli public would have weighted that depending on what the country faced. In war you have to hate to kill.
What Hamas is doing is hating Gazans since 2007. Free elections met by free elections would have changed both country’s leaderships after 2007 and long before 2023.
You can say love and truly hate. You can gamble to win and truly want to be a loser.