Anyone watched the Louis Theroux documentary

Similar to my position also.

I think that may be why I find it easy debating with @Martymcfly24 because we aren't that far apart in beliefs, just I see things more from the Israel point of view and they empathise more with the Palestinians.

But others on here seem strangely reluctant to criticise Hamas despite appearing to care deeply about the welfare of Palestinians in Gaza. Strange.

Fair points.

But I mean the actual reality on the ground. I mean IDF soldiers handing food parcels to a representative of each Palestinian family. I find it graphic. And I can't think of a similar situation in history.

I did Google it but obviously worded it badly as kept getting accounts of Japanese cannibalism 🤮.

Just wondered if anyone else knew.

With all due respect @quantumbutterfly I think we can all say we are all more vociferous for one "side" and there is nothing wrong with that it depends on a lot of factors.

But it's not it's opponents civilians, Israel is an Occupying power therefore the rules are different .

Plus I would not expect them to feed them but not to block the aid that other countries have provided that is very different.

It's an utterly bizarre situation. I've been thinking about this and don't know of any parallel in history, an army feeding it's opponents civilians...

Has this happened before?

True. And that's quite similar to my position.

I'm just curious as to why there's hardly anyone calling for Hamas to surrender fully, put down their rockets and give someone else a crack at running Gaza... but lots of people regularly calling for Israel to ceasefire.

Personally I believe it'd be better for Hamas to give back the hostages, surrender arms, and set a date for new elections in which they will not be running.

Then let's see if Israel ceases fire.

But as always on here it seems the onus is on Israel to back down first. I don't get it.

You can, and you can be equally vociferous on both counts of course.

You can think Hamas are terrible and should step down but also that the Israeli government has behaved in an awful cruel and illegal way also.

I don’t understand what you mean? Calls for Hamas to fuck off would be directed towards public opinion?

Public opinion? Unless of course they actually support what hamas is doing.

Who would these calls be directed at?!

Yes hopefully

That's excellent news @Twiglets1
So much better than before

Sounds very positive, hopefully if this works it will alleviate the immediate hunger.

And hopefully the same principal will apply to medical supplies as well.

Sorry that reply was to @Twiglets1

This is what happened before. Hamas and local gangs were stealing from the aid trucks so the IDF then protected the aid convoys. But then Hamas knew where they'd be and would fire mortars at them and civilians were caught in the middle

From the linked article:

Israel is planning to radically alter the way humanitarian aid is distributed in the Gaza Strip when it begins allowing assistance into the enclave in the coming weeks after what will have been a nearly two-and-a-half-month freeze, an Israeli and Arab official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel this week.

The plan is to transition away from wholesale distribution and warehousing of aid and to instead have international organizations and private security contractors hand out boxes of food to individual Gazan families, according to the officials.

Each family will have a designated representative tasked with reaching an Israel Defense Forces security zone in southern Gaza, where aid will be distributed after going through several rounds of inspection. Each box will have enough food to last several days until family representatives will be allowed to return to the security zone to receive another parcel, the officials said, adding that Israel believes this method will make it harder for Hamas to divert aid to its fighters.

www.timesofisrael.com/idf-planning-major-shift-in-gaza-aid-delivery-in-bid-to-thwart-hamas-diversion/

IDF planning major shift in Gaza aid delivery in bid to thwart Hamas diversion

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-planning-major-shift-in-gaza-aid-delivery-in-bid-to-thwart-hamas-diversion/

I think Hamas have repeatly put their urge to kill Jews before the best interests of their own people. None of their policies have been geared towards creating wealth, a future, or even an actual nation state for their own. It's always been about killing Jews ( otherwise known as erasing the zionist entity ). And currently Israel gives not a shit about Palestinian civilians either.

Gazans are in hell. But the first responsibility for that lies with its own government.

I do know you never defend Hamas.

Hamas diverting most of the international aid into their own pockets may not be the only reason for the inability of the Palestinian people to be less reliant on aid to survive but it is one huge reason. The main reason in my opinion but I acknowledge that's just my opinion.

Yes. Exactly this.

So what is the answer to prevent this .

Allow Aid agencies in to distribute food and medical supplies directly to the population. Allow guaranteed protection from harm by the IDF and Hamas for those Aid workers and cut Hamas out of the equation.

Otherwise civilians are being starved for the actions of a terrorist group which would be considered collective punishment.

I agree with you that Israel should have been allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza. I believe they are belatedly looking at ways to reinstate it that ensure Hamas can't get their hands on it. That is the challenge for them.

But it's still surprising to us that so many on here seem more fixated on the damage that Israel are doing to Palestinian civilians than the damage Hamas have inflicted and are still inflicting.

So much anger towards the Israel government and IDF. So little anger expressed towards Hamas.

Absolutely and @Twiglets1 you know I will never post here to defend Hamas. But I don't think it is the only reason. Combined with the economic policies of the Israeli government and the ways they have prevented businesses and entrepreneurship which generated wealth the situation has been created plus a high birth rate which also leads families into poverty.

Except Hamas is stealing and stockpiling the aid and killing any Palestinians that try to stop them

But that extraordinary high percentage of people wouldn't have remained reliant on International Aid would it, if Hamas had actually used the money for the intended purpose over the years rather than diverting it into weapons and building tunnels?