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

The whataboutery is tiresome.

The justification for what you think Israel does or doesn't do is astonishing. It seems you've completely swallowed the Hasbara.

This is the dead giveaway:

There is only one side that wants to live in peace, obviously, and one side that has started every single war there.

I form my opinions based on what I see happening and its pretty obvious what's their game. They want to take over gaza and move the Palestinians out of it, thereby genocide and without absolutely slaughtering them maybe, ethnically cleansing it. They're making it impossible to live in it, starving and letting them die of thirst, whatever means necessary to achieve their aim. No need for anyone to do anything other than observe to form that opinion!

Oh yawn. You keep posting this nonsense and we keep educating you. And then you run away without answering questions. The IHL and Geneva conventions were created AFTER WW2. They were not criminal acts because there was no legal framework available at the time.

And the Allied bombing campaigns at the end of the war (e.g. Dresden) were done to terrorise the civilians and weaken their morale. But whataboutery...

No, the ex-IDF Defense Minister is obviously not a member of Hamas. He, like many inside and outside of Israel, has criticized the government's actions in Gaza. That’s called dissent. I stand with the people of Israel but I don't believe that the government has done enough to try and secure the release of the hostages, and I'll criticise the Israeli government for that.

But let’s be clear—his statements are a far cry from the knee-jerk, obsessive condemnation of Israel that many engage in, where every action—no matter how justified or routine—is portrayed as criminal. There’s a difference between principled criticism and blind hostility. The later is what we have seen from supporters or Palestine and Hamas.

As for the IDF "saying so"—yes, it's the only functioning military force currently operating in Gaza, unless the alternative being seriously proposed is to just hand the territory over to Hamas again. That idea is often dressed up as "ending the war" or "stopping a genocide". That is why I am challenging those posts. People who post that are not acting with the best interests of the innocent people caught up in this war, Israelis and Palestinians.

I've openly questioned why other countries aren't willing to step up and police Gaza—and you know what response I usually get? A one liner that lays the blame at Israel's door. I’ve yet to hear a single viable alternative—just moral grandstanding disguised as criticism.

Not true but please focus on the 9 questions from my previous post.

That is from a far right, racist and extremist Islamophobic X account. If you're comfortable associating yourself with people like that, work away.

1. No, the Trump plan was just a spur-of-the-moment brain dump. Even Bibi was surprised by it. I'm genuinely unsure what will come of Gaza, but I believe an international force is the way forward. Israel staying there isn't going to work for either side.
2. I doubt that specific number is publicly available, but I can check and get back to you. What’s certain is that rockets have definitely been fired—there were several launched directly from Gaza during the ceasefire in March. The IDF is highly effective at intercepting these attacks, which is why the number of casualties has remained relatively low despite the frequency of rocket fire. Rockets have and are still being fired into Israel from their allies.
3. It's greater than zero, unfortunately. There was one killed last week. His name was Staff Sgt. Danilo Mocanu.
4. No, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being pro-Palestine. As I've said before, my heart goes out to the innocent people in Gaza, and I genuinely hope they get the aid and support they need. That said, I do question the motives of some who claim to be pro-Palestine. In my experience, many of the people I meet in real life who take that stance often don’t seem to know much about the region or the history once you actually start a conversation. Give me two minutes with a watermelon badge holder and they'll crack. I'm yet to met a supporter of Palestine who has been to the region, which amazes me.
5. That’s the information Israeli media have been given by the IDF about "Operation Gideon’s Chariots". The IDF has intelligence assets in Gaza, and many sources report that Hamas is continually recruiting new members—so it’s likely they’re expecting intense fighting over the next few months.
6. As I mentioned in point 1, I'm hoping for some form of international force. I wasn’t aware of the level of dissatisfaction with peacekeepers in Lebanon. In all my time visiting Tel Aviv and speaking with Israeli friends, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard that perspective.
7. They really can’t win on that one, can they? It’s an active war zone—if a journalist is killed, the IDF gets the blame for not keeping them safe. But if they restrict access, they're accused of hiding something. It’s a no-win situation. And honestly, we should be asking: is truly independent journalism even possible in Gaza while a terrorist group like Hamas controls the territory? Can reporters really operate freely without fear of censorship, coercion, or worse?
8. My opinion doesn’t really matter on this one—and I think that’s part of the problem with many of the war crime claims being thrown around. There are courts in place and people far more qualified to assess whether Bibi or the IDF are guilty of any such crimes. I’m choosing to let those institutions do their job, set aside my personal opinions and emotions, and accept whatever decision they ultimately come to.
9. That question is based on a false premise. The aim of Israel is to defeat Hamas, a terrorist organization that has embedded itself deliberately among civilians—including children—as a human shield strategy. Starving or traumatising children is not and has never been a legitimate aim. Civilian suffering is an unfortunate and tragic consequence of urban warfare, especially when the enemy hides behind its own population, a proven fact when it comes to Hamas. Israel has issued countless warnings for civilians to evacuate areas prior to strikes—something very few military forces in history have done in active combat zones. If you're genuinely concerned about the welfare of Palestinian civilians, including children, the question should really be: why does Hamas consistently endanger its own people and reject any solution that doesn’t keep it in power?

I hope you don't mind me doing a report card on your answers. To be fair at least you do try to outline your views.

1. I don't think you are being honest with yourself. Israel will most definitely annex part or all of Gaza. They have stated they will. You believe other stuff they say, why not this. They have previous on ongoing settlements.
2. Unable to answer or counter my 0 estimate. Claimed ceasefire breach, no proof.
3. Ok you are correct - Let's agree on < 10 in the past 12 months? I am sure we would have heard otherwise.
4. I asked about "pro-Palestinian"
5. Unable to answer - Please give me your opinion. Let's see this "intense fighting" when the tanks roll in. Maybe you will be right but I cannot see it. Hamas were beaten long ago.
6. Refused to answer question and not being straight. Israel targeted the UN peacekeeping forces just last year in Lebannon and are constantly criticising them and the UN. You cannot have missed that. They even attacked the Irish peacekeepers.
7. Dishonest nonsense. It's up to journalists to do their own risk assessment when entering warzones. They are not allowed in. They want to go in. They plead to go in. Many local journalists have been killed already. International journalists are banned. This has not happened in any other warzone. Do not pretend they are doing it for the good of the journalists. That's extremely disingenuous.
8. Refused to answer.
9. Refused to answer. Blamed Hamas for Israel refusing aid.

We are talking about the world media. Most Irish people and journalists have recognised what Israel was doing long ago and weren't afraid to speak up. Other countries are catching up.

Would I be correct in saying that your loyalty to your US employer and Israeli friends clouds your judgement? Even on an anonymous forum.

The turning point that wasn’t: the way the world talks about Israel’s war has changed. Nothing else has | Nesrine Malik | The Guardian

I assume that to be able to issue an arrest warrant, a certain level of corroborated evidence must be already obtained.

But also, what I don't get is, particularly recently, Netanyahu and others have stated that Hamas "committed/are committing Genocide against Israel". Yet they reject as blood libel anyone accusing Israel of Genocide.

And another odd one:

Blood libel or ritual murder libel (also blood accusation) is an antisemitic canard which falsely accuses Jews of murdering Christians in order to use their blood in the performance of religious rituals.

The latest figure I've seen from the Israeli press is 468 military deaths since October 7th - this was as of last week.

Israel are a stain on humanity