IN reply to Roger Westmoreland’s letter of August 12, Hamas is a terrorist organisation.

Its charter commits it not only to the destruction of Israel, but also to the genocide of the Jewish people wherever in the world they are.

Hamas wants to finish what Hitler started.

As Amos Oz said recently: “Even a man of compromise cannot approach Hamas and say: ‘Maybe we meet halfway and Israel only exists on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays’.”

Hamas shares the same ideology as their fellow terrorists of Islamic State.

On Friday, Hamas executed 18 people including two women in public without a trial and with children watching.

As for Gaza being blockaded, 60,000 individuals entered Israel from Gaza in the first five months of 2014.

Many of these were patients and their escorts coming for medical treatment in Israeli hospitals.

Many are businessmen. If Hamas agreed to end its terrorist activity against Israel, then there would be no need for the restrictions.

Hamas has fired more than 11,000 rockets indiscriminately from Gaza into Israel since they took over the Gaza strip in 2005 not to mention the other missiles and mortars. Israel, on the other hand, tries to target only the terrorists.

Mrs J Summerfield, Bowyers Close, Copmanthorpe, York.