Lee Mordechai is an Israeli historian and Senior Lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and, on 15 March 2024, published an extensive document—latest & archived versions embedded below—detailing his personal observations of Israel’s war in Gaza.
The document is being updated on an ongoing basis by Lee Mordechai at https://witnessing-the-gaza-war.com/
This 17 March 2024 article was later updated to add Mordechai’s 18 June 2024 (v6.0) and 5 December 2024 (v6.5.5) updated versions (both embedded below). All updates to the document are archived at https://witnessing-the-gaza-war.com/previous-versions/.
The most recent version of the document posted was dated July 5, 2025 (v. 6.7.0), and appears first below.
In an introduction to the first version of the document, posted on the public site for papers and research Academia.edu, Mordechai writes:
I, Lee Mordechai, write this document as a historian and Israeli citizen, as my testimony to the horrible current situation in Gaza as events are unfolding. I write my personal opinion as an academic, partially because of the disappointing general silence on this issue among many international and Israeli academic institutions, especially those that are well-positioned to comment on it, even as some of my colleagues have bravely spoken out. I do not believe this document will convince many others to change their minds. Rather, I write this publicly to testify that during the war there were and remain Israeli voices who strongly dissented from Israel’s actions.
Source
In the 5 December 2024 updated document, Lee Mordechai adds:
This document corresponds to an update and expansion of earlier versions of my understanding of the situation in early January, late January and mid-February 2024, following ideas and suggestions I have since received. The document’s main purpose is still to state my opinion publicly out of a sense of commitment I have to human rights ideals. A secondary purpose is to preserve at least some of the evidence I have come across as I have been reading about the war. I hope readers find it useful to better understand the circumstances over these difficult days in the present and the future.
Latest updated PDF (v6.7.0) of Lee Mordechai’s testimony—released on 5 July 2025
Updated PDF (v6.5.5) of Lee Mordechai’s testimony—released on 5 December 2024
Archived PDF of Lee Mordechai’s testimony—his 16 June 2024 update (v6.0)
Current and past versions are archived at witnessing-the-gaza-war.com
Scottish OG from the time of the First Palestinian Intifada and the birth of the international movement of solidarity with the Palestinian people • Author of one of the first blogs/first warblog— A Personal Diary of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (1994-1998) • Former Friends of Birzeit University (FoBZU) Coordinator • Former Birzeit University Public Relations Officer and Webmaster • Co-creator of the first independent media website in 1996— On the Ground In Ramallah: Reports from a town become battlefield • Cofounder and Editor of the original Electronic Intifada website • Day producer for Global Revolution’s news channel during #OccupyWallStreet, which introduced the world to the crowd-sourced power of livestreaming • Creator of countless websites for pro-Palestinian and nonprofit organizations around the world via nigelparry.net
