Israel-Gaza war

[ProudModerate2]

I don't see how Hamas thinks that they are helping Palestinians in what they have done.
(Many) More Palestinians will die, compared to Israelis, after this round of a mini-war has been concluded.
More Palestinian homes and structures will be destroyed, compared to those of Israel.
And worse thing of all, is that the Palestinians and their cause, have lost severe support from the international community.

[ProudModerate2]

I don't see how Hamas thinks that they are helping Palestinians in what they have done.

The goal is to hurt Israel, not help Palestinians. If getting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians killed makes even a few Jewish mothers weep that is a sacrifice they are willing to make.

In that case, I hope that Palestinians learn to report plans, and build-up, of Hamas terrorists to Israeli intelligence forces, in their communities and streets (from here forward).
(But yet we see Palestinians partying in the streets, en masse, immediately after Hamas commits atrocious acts towards the Jewish people.)

I don't see how so many terrorists could organize and plan this, without the Palestinians (officials and citizens) not having a strong idea an attack was going to take place.

[ProudModerate2]

Seeing all the continued video and photos of all the death is incredible.
Video on the streets, where the terrorists just killed people beside their car, then the camera continues down the road, and more bodies, and then more, and more.

People dead near bus stops, in homes, outside homes and businesses, even tossing of grenades into small bunkers packed with people hiding who were blown to pieces (literally).

Israel is now amassing huge amounts of armor, military vehicles and soldiers to go into Gaza. It's going to get really ugly, and unfortunately there is going to be many more innocent deaths, but this time it will be innocent Palestinian women, children and elderly that are in the path of the IDF. Hopefully most of them will evacuate areas that are most in danger.

[ProudModerate2]

I'm sure Israel has some sophisticated (spy) satellites above them. I would imagine they could pin-point down to the almost (if not) the exact home/backyard/area, where these missiles are being launched from.

I don't understand why they don't retaliate against these targets immediately and strongly, at the very moment they are launching.

[ProudModerate2]

Yep, Biden said in his speech that he saw pictures of terrorists beheading children.
There's no coming back from that. I don't know how Israel lets Hamas survive this war.

Because Israel can never actually eliminate Hamas, it’s a terrorist organization. What they’re about to do will only strengthen them. There is no good answer.

Unfortunately, I agree with this.
Many of these terrorists are hiding as "normal Palestinian citizens" in the Gaza Strip.  The Gaza Strip is populated with about 2.1 million people. It would be very difficult to find and capture most of them in Gaza, unless they are shooting back or armed.

Some of these terrorists will try to fight back, and will be killed by IDF, when IDF makes their incursion into Gaza. Many/Most may even temporarily escape into Egypt, until Israeli forces leave (weeks/months from now). They will then return, to start and plan for more trouble-making towards Israel.

[ProudModerate2]

Wow.
I can not believe these two women survived this cross-fire attack without being shot.
They must both feel very lucky.

[ProudModerate2]

Obviously a lot will unfold and so the answer to this question could change depending on what happens, but it would be interesting to hear someone, if it is assumed reasonable that Israel responds to the attacks, what the alternative is to any of the steps that they have taken so far.

Clearly it is a complicated situation with Gaza being so densely populated, Hamas hiding in civilian areas, etc. But those things are fixed. What is the reasonable alternative?

I am someone who has been critical of actions by the Israeli government in the broader situation, but I suppose on these things I’m just a bit of a realist.

They've already killed all of the Hamas fighters who actually attacked Israel.
...

What are you talking about?
Many retreated back into Gaza after doing their terroristic killings.
Some returning with kidnapped Israeli citizens.
Not to mention the ones who continue to launch rockets from Gaza into Israel.
Etc, etc.

[ProudModerate2]

https://twitter.com/Samehahabeeb/status/1712843991824191966

This is insane.
These people should leave. They even have their kids out there, chanting (more or less) "we want to die." Like WTF is that?

[ProudModerate2]

https://twitter.com/Samehahabeeb/status/1712843991824191966

This is insane.
These people should leave. They even have their kids out there, chanting (more or less) "we want to die." Like WTF is that?

If you knew your home was going to be absolutely leveled by an invading force and there would be a good chance you would probably never return back to it, would you not want to at least try to defend it?

Not against a force in where you have very little to nothing to "defend" yourself with.
IDF is going in with tanks and other heavy mobile military vehicles, and probably tens-of-thousands of infantry personnel.

The Hamas terrorists will probably try to resist, and as they use the Palestinian buildings (the homes) to hide in and shoot from, the tanks (and jets) are going to level these structures, regardless of who is in them (innocent women, children, elderly, etc).

If I had a family, I would take them away from this enormous incoming danger and protect them. The odds of "defending your home" for the normal Palestinian in Gaza is near zero. With those odds, protect your wife, children and elderly parents and get out. Lost property is property ... but a life you cannot get back.

[ProudModerate2]

A lot of dirt is coming out on Netanyahu already, the inquiry into it will surely be absolutely brutal. How could he have had his head so deep in the sand to miss all the signs?

I agree.
If the Israeli Defense Forces around the wall would have even been slightly or moderately more armed with soldiers, then all, or almost all of the Hamas terrorists would have been contained to their side (or killed).
The death of Israeli citizens would have been dramatically reduced, and probably no hostages would have been taken.

I don't see that Netanyahu would have intentionally allowed, or orchestrated the attack in any way. But there was a huge intelligence and leadership failure in Israel, for not taking the Egyptian and US warnings much more seriously.

[ProudModerate2]

The Israel-Palestine conflict: a brief, simple history.

[ProudModerate2]

NOVA GREEN BREAKING ALERT

*** 2nd US Carrier Fleet rolls in ***

The U.S. will deploy a second aircraft carrier strike group near Israel, further bolstering its military presence in the Mediterranean amid concerns of an escalating conflict with Iran and Hezbollah.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that "The increases to U.S. force posture signal the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war."

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-14/ty-article-live/

I would imagine that the carrier forces are there simply to deter any other neighboring nation from attacking Israel. US air forces will not take place in, for example, bombing the city of Gaza or endangering any Palestinian civilians.

[ProudModerate2]

Horrible.
I refuse to read how these hostages were killed, and in what condition their bodies were in, when they were returned to their family for burial.
Maddening.

[ProudModerate2]

Looks like the Houthis took a shot.

The distance from Yemen to Israel is not a hop-skip-and-a-jump. Can not be a "crude" type of missile, like those launched from Gaza into Israel.
These must have been medium-range missiles, which are much more sophisticated in nature. I smell Iran involved with this.

[ProudModerate2]

https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1715437877604049094

Again Channel 4 are a respected news source with a history of investigative journalism. It's vital that concerns over the version of events are investigated and addressed by the media.

I thought there was video evidence showing that one of the missiles fired by Hamas (the exact one in question), malfunctioned and actually made a U-turn(ish) and came back towards the hospital. So, the direction the missile landed at the hospital parking lot, is not in question.

[ProudModerate2]

People forget that we didn’t invade Afghanistan until nearly a month after 9/11.
These things aren’t immediate

These are two completely different battlefields.
You can not compare tiny, urban Gaza Strip, to much larger, mountainous Afghanistan.
The US had no/little military near Afgan. Israel borders Gaza, and IDF can mobilize almost immediately and enter.
Etc, etc.

[ProudModerate2]

Video -- 'That sounds like ethnic cleansing': CNN questions lead figure in Israel's settler movement.

CNN's Clarissa Ward reports from the West Bank where the Jewish settler movement is seeking a new goal in the wake of the October 7th attack by Hamas.
Click below to watch video ...

https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2024/03/20/israel-gaza-west-bank-settler-movement-clarissa-ward-pkg-intl-ldn-vpx.cnn

This is insane.
I did not know there was such a big-ish movement in Israel, actually advocating for Israel to completely re-settle Gaza.
Like, where are the millions of the current population there, suppose to go?
The international community would never allow this to happen.

[ProudModerate2]

Look at these scumbags acting like innocent nine year olds riding on bicycles while just finishing killing innocent civilians. Literally makes my blood cold. So much for the morality complex of the IDF.

As per usual I'm assuming there's absolutely zero evidence that they "just finished killing innocent civilians" or even that the home has been occupied at any point in the last three months?

Regardless of when those structures were destroyed, a "modern" army and it's soldiers should not be painting religious symbols on destroyed buildings (yet alone, symbols that are opposed by the previous home/structure owners), or showing over-enjoyment of their destruction, and the use and taking of civilian items, like bicycles.

Just dumb they would take self-video of their actions, and then release it for the world to see. I don't know how to read Israeli military insignia, but it would be interesting to know if any of these fools are wearing officer or non-commissioned officer markings.

[ProudModerate2]

Just released ...

Israeli military says it's preparing to shift from defense to offense on the border with Lebanon.

I fear this is going to explode to a huge military operation, on multiple fronts in Israel.
Scary/Deadly thoughts for everyone involved.

[ProudModerate2]

Israeli settlers attack Gaza bound aid convoy at West Bank crossing.

This is pathetic.
You know what level of ***hole you have to be, to do something like this?