Episode 40 of the JCZC Podcast, published on September 24, 2026 under the title "Inside Gaza: Where Truth Goes to Die," features a long-form conversation between host Simeon Myers and John Spencer. According to ARISE's published episode description, the discussion covers urban warfare in Gaza, Hamas's battlefield preparations, tunnels and activity in civilian areas, casualty reporting, civilian and combatant classification, civilian-harm mitigation, misinformation and the debate over genocide allegations.
Spencer promoted the episode on X as a longer conversation about his Gaza research, the laws of war including proportionality, "number and ratios," history and what he called "why the genocide accusation is absurd." That wording reflects Spencer's own position. It is not a judicial finding.
Watch the full interview
The episode runs 1:35:22. The publisher's chapter list includes sections on urban warfare, information warfare, Hamas's strategy, casualty statistics, civilian-combatant distinctions, civilian-harm mitigation and genocide accusations.
As of publication, no complete, reliable transcript of the episode was available through the sources reviewed. For that reason, this article does not attribute unverified quotations, numerical claims or detailed arguments to Spencer beyond what is established by the official episode description and his verified promotional post.
What proportionality means under the laws of war
One subject Spencer explicitly identified in his X post is proportionality. Under international humanitarian law, proportionality does not mean comparing the total number of people killed on each side of a conflict.
The International Committee of the Red Cross explains that an attack against a military objective is prohibited when the expected incidental civilian harm would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated. The principles of distinction and precautions also apply, requiring parties to distinguish civilians from combatants and civilian objects from military objectives, and to take feasible precautions to reduce civilian harm.
An overall death toll or a conflict-wide civilian-to-combatant ratio therefore does not, by itself, determine whether a particular attack complied with the proportionality rule. Such data can still be relevant to broader investigations or patterns, but an attack-specific legal assessment also requires information about the target, anticipated military advantage, expected civilian harm and the information available when the decision was made.
The genocide case has not been decided on the merits
Spencer has publicly rejected the allegation that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. South Africa, by contrast, argues before the International Court of Justice that Israel has violated the Genocide Convention, while Israel rejects the allegation.
As of September 26, 2026, the ICJ has not issued a final merits judgment deciding whether Israel violated the Convention. Israel filed its Counter-Memorial in March 2026, and in May the Court ordered a second written round. South Africa's Reply is due on November 22, 2027, and Israel's Rejoinder on May 22, 2029.
The provisional measures ordered in 2024 are binding interim measures intended to protect claimed rights while the case proceeds. They are not a final judgment that genocide occurred, nor are they a final dismissal of South Africa's case.
Who is John Spencer?
Madison Policy Forum lists Spencer as its Chair of War Studies. He served more than 25 years in the U.S. Army, including two combat deployments to Iraq, and has spent years researching and teaching urban warfare.
There is also important context about how he gathered some of his Gaza research. In a July 2025 NPR interview, Spencer said he had entered Gaza four times embedded with the IDF and had not interviewed Palestinians during those entries. He described his research focus as IDF tactics, techniques, procedures, orders and targeting processes. That background is relevant when readers assess the scope and source base of his observations.
Why the new interview matters
The episode should not automatically be presented as a completely new body of research. Many of the themes identified by Spencer and the publisher, including proportionality, casualty figures, urban warfare and genocide allegations, have appeared in his earlier public work.
Its immediate value is that it brings those subjects together in one long-form conversation and lets viewers hear his case at length. At the same time, factual and legal questions surrounding the Gaza war remain contested, making it important to distinguish Spencer's analysis from belligerent-supplied data, independent research, primary legal sources and judicial findings that have not yet been made.
