Hamas strike on Israel - mod warning in OP updated 19/10/23

Israel was bombing and killing innocent children long before there were hostages. You must be new to the history of the ME.

Hamas were killing Israelis and Jews long before October 7th 2023 as well, but that was a serious escalation of events indeed.

I support the only free minded and democratic nation in the Middle East Israel's right to exist.

Another term they use is child soldiers when confronted with the inexcusable figure for children killed.

The ceasefire ended because Hamas stalled the release of the hostages.

This is patently incorrect.

There was a three stage process in place and agreed to by all.

Stage 1 was complete and Stage 2 was scheduled to commence. Israel then reneged on the deal, tried to change terms to their advantage and then when Hamas rejected it; Israeli decried them as breaking the agreement and recommenced bombing.

Hezbollah a group that wants to destroy Israel operates out of Lebanon.

That does not give Israel the right to unilaterally bomb Lebanon.

To use your "logic"; the UK would've been justified attacking Dublin and areas of the Republic during the Troubles given the actions of Republican Terrorists.

It wouldn't have made a lick of sense then nor does it today; but that's what you're arguing for….

Israel only allowed a certain amount of control over Gaza? What are you on about they forcibly removed their own people out of there.

I love how you write "what are you on about" with such confidence.

• They restrict the free movement of the people; so much so that Gaza was referred to as the worlds largest open air prison
• They restrict Gazan economic growth/improvement. The economy was on the verge of collapse multiple times. Half the population were living in poverty
• They restrict the import of basic building materials - Steel/Glazing/Cement/aggregate
• They restrict utilities - Power is restricted to such a point that there are average 7 hour daily outages. Without power, water cannot be treated and/or distributed effectively. Waste water cannot be treated effectively. All of this affects the health of the Gazan people. 80% of people in Gaza were in receipt of some sort of aid.
• They restrict the Gazan fishermen to 3 nautical miles offshore. This large shoal deeper sea fish are only accessible 12 nautical miles offshore.
• They restrict food and food aid in to Gaza. Basic foods are routinely restricted so much so UN are operating food aid in Gaza, but that aid is also routinely restricted. So much so there's the highest level of child anemia in the Middle East in Gaza. You'll be glad to know the rest of Israel/Israeli children don't suffer under such restrictions and/or afflictions

The blockade of Gaza has long been documented and it's legality challenged. All of this was long before Oct 7th and readily available information but you chose to ignore it and just write "what are you on about". It's easy to write, not easy to defend you see.

In fact the civilian population in Gaza were given so much control they put a terrorist organisation into government,

"In fact" the same Hamas that Israel backed and supported to undermine the PLO.

that committed the biggest mass slaughter of the Jewish people since the Holocaust,

The default argument for justification of Israeli military action is simply "The Holocaust".

In 1945 civilised people realised that wholescale collective punishment against the German population was not a reasonable response.

and you say then that the people in Gaza were only allowed a certain level of control!

I don't just 'say' it, I and others on here have posted it for people like you numerous times. It's also freely available online and in books etc. But you choose to ignore it.

So yeah, only a certain level of control was permitted in Gaza.

Are you aware that the beheading of children on Oct 7th was perpetrated by Zaka? They peddled that lie and many others simply to raise funds for their failing organisation.

And whilst you've (rightly) vented your spleen on Hamas and events of Oct 7th, have you any comment on the IDF deliberately murdering Israelis that day? I'd suggest a quick read of the "Hannibal Directive".

Please explain to me what is "free minded and democratic" about the occupation of the West Bank.

If you read the thread you should know my views, so I assume you're just looking for your next victim to label. I'll leave you there on that, make what you want of my views by looking back if you like.

If Hamas disappeared there wouldn't be peace. Not so long as Israelis are still taking their land and killing their people. The west bank is a prime example of this. Hamas aren't there. the PLO gave up violence. And yet look at the place. The Israeli PM who did the most for the peace process was murdered by an Israeli.

I'm non violent but I have to wonder, if I grew up in a place like Palestine, would I still feel that way? Would I join a group fighting the Israelis? Or at the very least, would I have sympathy for them and their aims.

As long as the Palestinians are oppressed, they will fight back.

Just to elaborate some more on the above point. The former Israeli PM Ehud Barak even offered them a very generous deal back around in 2000 or 2001. The deal was practically selling the Jews and Israel out in my view, but the Arabs still rejected it because there wouldn't be the complete and entire destruction of the state of Israel.

I think they even went as far as launching the second intafada after that, but i'm open to correction there. Unfortunately that whole fiasco under Barak led to more right wing political parties and politicians becoming more popular in Israel.

The sad and sickening thing is that after the October 7th massacre 2023 people actually decided to double down and intensify their hatred and bigotry towards Israel and Jews

...what people?

The only people to double down are the Israelis. Remember when the ambassador was recalled in a hissy fit?

And remember the "Pogrom" in Amsterdam when one Israeli supporter suffered a broken tooth?

And remember when they reneged on the ceasefire and abandoned the hostages?

And remember when they violated the ceasefire in Lebanon and illegally annexed Golan?

You mistake abhorrence for murder, violence, ethnic cleansing, illegality, Genocide and War Crimes for anti semitism.

It must take some seriously broken sense of humanity and bankrupt morals to support a Pariah State where a member of the Government comes out with statements like this.

Imagine if anyone said this about Israelis - there would be an avalanche of accusations of antisemitism.

This is utterly disgusting, but no longer surprising - openly stating that it is Israel's duty to commit Genocide.

I sincerely hope the ICJ throw the entire book at Israel.

Israeli lawmaker Moshe Saada of PM Netanyahu's Likud party said in an interview on Channel 14 that it's Israel's "duty" to starve Gazans.

Criticizing the IDF chief, who reportedly said he does not intend to follow such a policy, Saada said, "I do intend to starve the Gazans – that's our duty. Our duty is to expel the Gazans."