Reply to: Striving for peace!

[woody1]

After the 7 Oct massacre, it is understandable that Israel would go after after Hamas. In a place like Gaza, you can't do that without a shed load of collateral damage.

How this will end, and what the future holds, who knows.

[vetran]

Below what age would a casualty be considered an innocent civilian?

Despite both sides disagreeing over the actual number of children killed, no one disputes that it runs into thousands. Thousands of women have been killed too.

Child soldiers - Hamas like the Vietcong are known to use them young. There is clear evidence they indoctrinate from an early age.

UN reports suggest 15 is common and 12 not impossible

https://www.refworld.org/reference/a.../2001/en/64736

16 year olds can be working for the IDF.

Women are regularly used by Hamas as Martyrs and to attack Israelis its likely some are also straight out combatants. Women also serve in the IDF, British & US armies.

Hamas also intentionally use civilians as human shields.

So gender & age are no indicators whether they are combatants.

It is rather a pity Hamas don't wear uniforms, we could count them!

Experts from West Point and many other highly skilled military strategists believe the ratio between Palestinian Civilian deaths and Palestinian combatants is one to one so if there are 40,000 dead then there were probably about 20,000 of those were combatants.

I do feel sorry for the innocent Palestinians just like the innocent Israelis

[NotAllThere]

Below what age would a casualty be considered an innocent civilian?

Despite both sides disagreeing over the actual number of children killed, no one disputes that it runs into thousands. Thousands of women have been killed too.

Hamas hand 13-14 year olds guns.

[woody1]

Below what age would a casualty be considered an innocent civilian?

Despite both sides disagreeing over the actual number of children killed, no one disputes that it runs into thousands. Thousands of women have been killed too.

[vetran]

I don't know. Perhaps there's a way of testing corpses to see whether they were:
a) combatant
b) sympathiser
c) innocent civilian

well as Hamas are in charge one hopes they know who is a combatant?

Maybe we should ask them repeatedly?

[woody1]

what percentage of those are actually civilians?

I don't know. Perhaps there's a way of testing corpses to see whether they were:
a) combatant
b) sympathiser
c) innocent civilian

[vetran]

Some may be but many are just concerned with 5-figure* loss of civilian life.

* I don't think anyone is disputing that it is a 5-figure number, even if people can't agree whether it starts with 2,3,4. Of course, some would argue that few if any of them are innocent victims.

what percentage of those are actually civilians?

[woody1]

What is the sad situation is the socialists, media, politicians and students who become apologists and champions for the Hamas terrorist cause -who are still holding over 100 hostages in tunnels.

Some may be but many are just concerned with 5-figure* loss of civilian life.

* I don't think anyone is disputing that it is a 5-figure number, even if people can't agree whether it starts with 2,3,4. Of course, some would argue that few if any of them are innocent victims.

[saptastic]

Sadly many Muslims are being told to hate Israel by their spiritual leaders. The misinformation being offered almost constantly by the Palestinian side is horrific.

Israel was about to normalise relations with Saudi Arabia which would have been incredible for the region.
Iranian extremists leadership wants to destroy Israel and everyone in it and therefore had to stop the peace process through violence.

Israel is fighting for its own survival.
What is the sad situation is the socialists, media, politicians and students who become apologists and champions for the Hamas terrorist cause -who are still holding over 100 hostages in tunnels.

[vetran]

Found this through wiki and, as I suspected, typical human idiocy.
https://www.stimson.org/2023/what-dr...it-be-resolved

Sadly many Muslims are being told to hate Israel by their spiritual leaders. The misinformation being offered almost constantly by the Palestinian side is horrific.

[woody1]

Found this through wiki and, as I suspected, typical human idiocy.
https://www.stimson.org/2023/what-dr...it-be-resolved

[woody1]

Re. Iran

Iran hate Israel, and want to see it wiped out. OK maybe not the Iranian people but certainly the regime. I don't think that's an exaggeration but I'm happy to stand corrected.

Why is that? Is it just because of religion?
Can anyone offer a rational explanation/justification as to why they seek genocide? Or are they just doing what our fecked up species has always done.

[woody1]

I wasn't referring to Israel, or even just conflict in that region. I was talking about people (humans) generally. People develop intolerance and hatred over the most idiotic belief systems and warped ideologies.

As for Israel getting along with its neighbours, there's little or no prospect of that when neighbours are sponsored by one of the most extreme fanatical regimes on the planet.

Jews have been persecuted for thousand of years but why? Because of their religion or some other irrational prejudice?

[vetran]

Or people could just learn to get along. Yes, I know, pigs will fly.

Israel are pretty much trying to do that. After 20,000 plus rocket attacks to Israeli civilian areas from Gaza since 2001 the Israelis still don't just flatten the neighbourhood with 2000 lb bombs. They haven't just turned Gaza to glass as a reaction to Palestinian citizens invading and butchering civilians. How many more cheeks do you think they have to turn?

If it were the Americans not the Israelis they would have bombed Gaza back to the stone age by now.

One revealing question - If Hamas disarmed would they be safe? (probably) If Israel disarmed would they be safe?

[saptastic]

Or people could just learn to get along. Yes, I know, pigs will fly.

Only Israel can be threatened on seven fronts from people who want to murder and massacre them - and be told to 'get along' - like they don't want that.
Any other country and it wouldn't be a conversation