All Eyes on Rafah

I havent watched the videos above but I saw the most hideous video on Instagram from Rafah just now. Hell on earth doesn't even come close. Israel are disgusting terrorists.

https://x.com/alon_mizrahi/status/1794506603409842188

It looks like Hamas killed/captured up to 16 Israeli Elite soldiers ($100,000 to train each one).

So bombing likely to intensify.

Yes … I don’t disagree. ( I’ll get my coat and creep away )

But see again, this was unnecessary. What was the point of this comment, if not to redirect from the thrust of the thread?

I’m not ashamed to say I focus more on the suffering of the Gazans - because personally I see them as suffering far more in this ‘war’ - but you can feel more strongly for one side and still recognise that Jewish people globally are afraid and that hostages are suffering (if they’re alive at all at this point). And that Muslims around the globe are frightened of repercussions too.

No - I didn’t mean you personally…
But anyone who reads these threads will know that it happens.
Anyway - I’m genuinely not trying to derail from the issue of the situation in Gaza . So let’s move on

I’m definitely on the side of peace and so it seems that most people are. I am not minimising the suffering the hostages at all. Where on earth have I done that? Nor have a bullied any Jewish people.

( Obviously by “you” I mean a collective “you”. I assume you are a reasonable person)

Ok - fair enough. You win. Your side has more support. I’ve no problem with that AT ALL. Just don’t use that support to minimise the suffering of the hostages or to ignore the bullying of Jewish people.

it always feels disingenuous by them - they don’t actually care about the hostages in that moment beyond using them as a point scoring mechanism.

Very disingenuous. Particularly as the Israeli government don’t seem to care very much about the hostages.

I’ve not read one post on here that suggests all Jews are culpable for Gaza. Of course they aren’t.

We don’t have to guess what people think - there are loads of polls showing what support there is in both countries.

https://www.fm104.ie/news/fm104-news/almost-80-of-irish-people-support-palestine-as-protest-to-take-place-in-the-city/

https://www.amnesty.ie/israeli-apartheid-poll/#:~:text=Amnesty%20International%20Ireland-,New%20poll%20shows%20an%20overwhelming%20majority%20of%20Irish%20people%20believe,under%20an%20Israeli%20apartheid%20system&text=New%20polling%20shows%20that%2071,implemented%20against%20them%20by%20Israel.

https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/49366-british-attitudes-to-the-israel-gaza-conflict-may-2024-update

I think it’s a “know the right place” kind of thing. If I waltzed into a hostage thread and said “yeah but Palestinian babies are dying, if you can’t sympathise with that then why should you expect anyone to care about hostages”, I’d expect to be castigated. Rightly so.

There is a trend out there by pro-Israelis to attempt to deflect any criticism of Israel by saying “but hostages”. And to expect pro-Gazans to lead with a disclaimer of “of course the hostages have my sympathy but I think xyz in Gaza was awful”. It’s very wearying in all honesty and if I’m honest with you, it always feels disingenuous by them - they don’t actually care about the hostages in that moment beyond using them as a point scoring mechanism.

I’m not going to disagree with any of that.

It's not from social media, it's from polls which show overwhelming opposition to Israel's actions.
And the small sample of my everyday interactions. More and more people are talking it about freely and that only happens when people feel the majority will agree with them and feel safe in their views.
Not that there should be anything controversial in expressing a view against the Israeli army killing all these people, destroying their homes and lives.

Maybe it’s not an appropriate post here. I accept that. But I’m conscious that horror and sympathy for the civilians in Gaza can turn into a dismissal of the suffering of the hostages. I have seen dreadful things said by both sides on these threads.
I’ve also seen pro Palestinian posters ( @Scirocco particularly) make a real effort to show that she cares about the hostages and doesn’t view all Jews as culpable . I think that is all I was trying to do. I definitely wasn’t trying to minimise. Honestly.

Yes - it is indeed interesting