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Conflict in the Middle East

Does the CITME forum negatively affect your mental health?

216 replies

SomeoneSomewheree · 04/08/2025 20:43

Personally, yes, it does.

To see people day in and day out try and justify a genocide does affect my mental health so I try to stay away at times.

I have also noticed it is the same handful of posters on both sides arguing, neither convincing the other.

I have unfortunately witnessed at times anti-semitic and anti-Palestinian comments, which are not pleasant to read.

Does it affect you? It is not always a pleasant place whatever your stance is on the conflict.

OP posts:
saveforthat · 13/08/2025 16:40

This subject affects my mental health, what should I do? I know I'll start another thread on it.

RandomWordsThrownTogether · 13/08/2025 16:37

Gloriia · 13/08/2025 16:25

'Recognising Israel’s disproportionate violence doesn’t mean ignoring Hamas'

You say that but I've yet to see a celeb or a placard waver saying 'hamas surrender'.

Disproportionate violence fo the atrocities of Oct 7th? Nope. Now hamas starving their people by stashing all the aid that's something I could get angry about. Why don't you?

Israel have destroyed all of the farmlands, they shoot anyone who tries to fish, they have blocked all aid to the region for months. How exactly do you think Hamas have a secret stash of aid, where would they get it from?

It has already been proven that the main criminal gang looting aid was actually in the employ of Israel - Netanyahu even admitted they were in his employ!

dairydebris · 13/08/2025 16:34

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 16:19

Just to be clear, I’ve condemned Hamas repeatedly- far more often than many on these threads have ever condemned Israel.

Recognising Israel’s disproportionate violence doesn’t mean ignoring Hamas; it’s about calling out the actors causing the greatest harm = Israel.

Where's your exhaustive list on Hamas atrocities in the vein of the exhaustive list you posted above on Israels atrocities then?

Have you taken time to compile one like you did for Israel?

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 16:34

Oh, come on- 180,000 buildings levelled to target 30,000 Hamas. A 6:1 civilian to combatant death ratio. Nearly 20,000 children killed. Were the terrorists hiding in the line when those children were killed queueing for water? Have they been hiding in the baby formula?

Why are you rehashing the same arguments that have been disproved with verified sources time and time again. Oh, actually I know why.

Israel is entirely responsible for the man-made famine in Gaza. Every credible report- from the UN, WHO, and other humanitarian agencies- shows that aid is being blocked or destroyed by the blockade and ongoing Israeli strikes.

I’ve seen images of IDF soldiers posing with children’s toys and teddy bears today. The toys of the children whose house they just destroyed and they probably killed. Absolutely disgusting.

Gloriia · 13/08/2025 16:25

'Recognising Israel’s disproportionate violence doesn’t mean ignoring Hamas'

You say that but I've yet to see a celeb or a placard waver saying 'hamas surrender'.

Disproportionate violence fo the atrocities of Oct 7th? Nope. Now hamas starving their people by stashing all the aid that's something I could get angry about. Why don't you?

Gloriia · 13/08/2025 16:22

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 16:17

and here we have today’s serving of whataboutism: highlighting every other humanitarian disaster under the sun.

It's called balance and perspective.

Only upsets some on here if it's Israel destroying terrorist groups though < the terrorists who hide among civilians causing the casualties just a reminder for the trillionth time>.

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 16:20

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 12/08/2025 17:01

For over five months, Israel has blocked the entry of humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, putting the lives of more than 2 million Palestinians at risk.

A child is dying in Gaza every 53 seconds.

Over half a million children are now suffering from acute malnutrition.

Israel controls all land crossings, airspace, and sea access to Gaza.

Aid has been blocked or severely limited at
Israeli checkpoints since early 2024.

The UN and all major aid organisations say the famine is entirely man-made.

Amnesty International: “Israel is deliberately starving Gaza”
Human Rights Watch: “Israel is using starvation as weapon of war”
Save the Children: “Israel's siege is starving the people of Gaza”
Doctors Without Borders: “Israel is destroying conditions of life in Gaza”

"There are no uninvolved in Gaza" -
Israeli rabbi Ronen Shaulov has called for every child in Gaza to be starved to death, saying that "not a trace can remain" of Gaza and there is no such thing as uninvolved civilians. Ronen Shaulov is popular in Israel with a large social media following.

Who controls the aid?
The UN does not control Gaza's border crossings.
Only Israel does.
Since Oct 2023, Israel has forced aid trucks to unload at the border and leave

Why doesn't the aid move inside Gaza?
Once unloaded, local trucks inside Gaza must get Israeli permits to pick up the aid.
Israel often denies or delays the permits
then asks, "Why isn't the UN picking up the aid?"

Even with permits, truck drivers risk being bombed or shot by Israeli forces.
This has happened repeatedly.

There, Israeli-backed armed gangs steal aid, beat, kidnap, or kill drivers.
Israel knows this - and still forces that route.

It's Israel controlling the borders, not Hamas. Aid is sitting in trucks because Israel is blocking it, often for weeks or months at a time. This has been confirmed by the UN, WHO, Amnesty, and multiple aid organisations on the ground.

Close to 20,000 children have already been killed, and those who survive are being slowly starved- half of all children under five are acutely malnourished. Infant formula is being blocked, along with food, medicine, and clean water. Babies are being born to starving mothers, in tents, with no incubators, no fuel, and no chance. Newborn babies have starved to death. This isn't just a humanitarian failure- it's the deliberate use of mass starvation as a weapon of war.

Blocking aid, bombing bakeries, attacking distribution points, and denying formula to babies is not "defeating Hamas." It's collective punishment and under international law, it is a war crime.

"IDE officers told Haaretz that the army does not allow the public in Israel or abroad to see footage of what takes place around the food distribution sites [...]
But lately, firing shells has just become standard practice. Every time we fire, there are casualties and deaths, and when someone asks why a shell is necessary, there's never a good answer I...]
Gaza doesn't interest anyone anymore ... It's become a place with its own set of rules. The loss of human life means nothing. It's not even an 'unfortunate incident, like they used to say."
"Earlier this week, soldiers from Division 252 opened fire at an intersection where civilians were waiting for aid trucks. A commander on the ground gave the order to fire directly at the center of the junction, resulting in the deaths of eight civilians, including teenagers [...]
When we asked why they opened fire, we were told it was an order from above and that the civilians had posed a threat to the troops. I can say with certainty that the people were not close to the forces and did not endanger them. It was pointless - they were just killed, for nothing. This thing called killing innocent people - it's been normalized."
"We open fire early in the morning if someone tries to get in line from a few hundred meters away, and sometimes we just charge at them from close range.
But there's no danger to the forces [...]
I'm not aware of a single instance of return fire. There's no enemy, no weapons [...]
He also said the activity in his area of service is referred to as
Operation Salted Fish - the name of the Israeli version of the children's game:
"Red light, green light"

“A very small part of the aid gets in here.
And even to get it, you live death a billion times every second from bombing and gunfire.
Every day, more than 50 people die here, and more than 1000 people are injured by bullets and shells while we try to get aid.
And if you do get this aid, there are armed gangs here who come and take what you managed to get by force, and it is very easy for them to shoot and beat you because these gangs are supported by Israel.
A short time ago, I was hit by a shrapnel from a shell. While I was trying to get flour, we were heavily shelled with artillery. Everyone who was there, if they were not martyred, was injured.
And the ambulances are forbidden from reaching there.”

Even if Hamas disappeared tomorrow, Israel's siege and aid blockade would still be in place unless it is lifted.

40,000 orphans
Highest number of child amputees.
98(?) children and counting dead from starvation.
No education for two years.
1 million children displaced and homeless.
49% want to die because of the conflict.

This is what you’d prefer to bury.

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 16:19

Gloriia · 13/08/2025 16:11

This with bells on.

Posters saying things such as 'and why does what’s happening in Yemen mean Israel shouldn’t be held accountable' says it all.

They never blame hamas. Why?

Just to be clear, I’ve condemned Hamas repeatedly- far more often than many on these threads have ever condemned Israel.

Recognising Israel’s disproportionate violence doesn’t mean ignoring Hamas; it’s about calling out the actors causing the greatest harm = Israel.

Gloriia · 13/08/2025 16:18

'It's a genocide, confirmed by Amnesty International'

The same Amnesty international who were 'deeply concerned' about the arrests following the protests, seemingly oblivious to the fact that supporting a terrorist organisation is illegal

That amnesty international?! Sorry, like activist Doctors their opinion should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 16:17

and here we have today’s serving of whataboutism: highlighting every other humanitarian disaster under the sun.

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 16:14

dairydebris · 13/08/2025 16:01

Of course you owe me nothing. But in the absence of any explanation from you and others on here as to why youre so hyper focused on Israel's faults in this current conflict, and not Hamas' faults, and not others who are committing similar faults all over the globe, we are forced to draw our own conclusions.

I’ve explained the reasons people are focused on this several pages back, you’re just choosing to ignore our explanation.

Gloriia · 13/08/2025 16:11

dairydebris · 13/08/2025 16:01

Of course you owe me nothing. But in the absence of any explanation from you and others on here as to why youre so hyper focused on Israel's faults in this current conflict, and not Hamas' faults, and not others who are committing similar faults all over the globe, we are forced to draw our own conclusions.

This with bells on.

Posters saying things such as 'and why does what’s happening in Yemen mean Israel shouldn’t be held accountable' says it all.

They never blame hamas. Why?

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 16:11

Alittlefeedbackwouldbenice · 13/08/2025 14:17

So wait, you have a lot of (understandable) concern for the small number of hostages, but when it comes to 2 million starving people your response is that more people are starving in other conflicts, so we should focus on them more.

So are the numbers important or not?

If we should focus on the greatest number of starving people, why are people so concerned with 25 hostages?

Isn't there enough compassion for everyone?

Exactly. Strange that isn’t it.

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 16:09

It's a genocide, confirmed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the UN, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, the University Network for Human Rights, the International Court of Justice, the Oxford Union, the African Union, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, World March of Women, B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, the Journal of Genocide Research, Genocide Watch, Médecins Sans Frontières, Defence for Children International, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Lancet, Reliefweb, War on Want, Oxfam, Physicians for Human Rights, the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, the Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, the US Center for Constitutional Rights, the US National Lawyers Guild, the International Federation for Human Rights, World Beyond War and so far 147 countries.

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 16:09

dairydebris · 13/08/2025 12:42

Care to answer any of my other ones then? Or just the 1/ 6 that you could twist into a snappy put down?

Theyre below again in case you need reminding-

Would Israel have done any of the above had Hamas not commited the atrocity of 7 October? Would they have got this free pass you talk of if Hamas hadn't done that?

And in what sense does Israel have a free pass? What does that mean? Theres been huge international condemnation. Arrest warrants for war crimes. Increased antisemitism in lots of places. Do you mean a free pass in that no one has actually used military force to try to stop them? Is that what you think the world should do?

We all know this didn’t start on October 7th- even 10 years prior, Israel has repeatedly bombed and blockaded Gaza, including strikes that killed civilians and targeted infrastructure.

And every time Hamas has agreed to release hostages, Israel has either rejected the deal, added new demands, or broken the ceasefire. This isn’t hypothetical- it’s documented, repeated behaviour that shows the conflict isn’t only about responding to one attack.

Four hundred thousand people missing or murdered. One hundred and eighty thousand buildings reduced to rubble. All to kill thirty thousand combatants. In modern warfare, anything above a 1:1 civilian-to-combatant death ratio is a red flag. This is six to one.
That's not precision- it's devastation on a scale history will remember not as strategy, but as atrocity, war crimes & genocide.

I really hope that when the smoke clears and all of this comes to light you can handle the cognitive dissonance that hits you.

quantumbutterfly · 13/08/2025 16:04

Alittlefeedbackwouldbenice · 13/08/2025 14:46

Why do you care about the hostages then, given they're are only 25 surviving ones, rather than focusing on Yemen...

At least partly since I watched people tearing down and defacing posters of the Bibas babies in London and celebrating 7/10. My heart goes out to the hostages and their families in the face of such hatred. Enough compassion for everyone.

dairydebris · 13/08/2025 16:01

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 15:41

You know nothing about my work, what I’ve campaigned for in the past or what I’m campaigning for currently, and I owe you no explanation for why I’m focusing on this urgent, visible crisis.

Of course you owe me nothing. But in the absence of any explanation from you and others on here as to why youre so hyper focused on Israel's faults in this current conflict, and not Hamas' faults, and not others who are committing similar faults all over the globe, we are forced to draw our own conclusions.

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 15:52

SharonEllis · 13/08/2025 11:20

Yemen has been 'unfolding in real time in front of our eyes ' for years. Just because you dont look doesn't make it any less ' in front' of you. The reason its not reported is because there is little interest. If there were weekly marches, bulging inboxes, vast numbers of clicks, of course it would be top of the news agenda.

Of course there is ambiguity in Gaza. You don't want to see it in less black and white terms but the nature of guerilla warfare is complex. We dont avtuallu know how many og tbe drad were in fact killed by Hamas and other groups, for example. Of course there is lots of complicity of the UK in Yemen. We have been sucking up to the Saudis for years. Our arms sales to Saudi are vast and arms sales to Israel tiny and not very significant.

Did the fact that Gaza has one of the highest child death rates in modern conflict history just go right over your head? That’s not a side detail- it’s why people are speaking out so urgently.

And why does what’s happening in Yemen mean Israel shouldn’t be held accountable for dropping the equivalent of several Hiroshima-sized bombs in Palestinian civilians?

Yemen’s crisis is horrific, yes, but the lack of coverage is due to less public awareness and far less direct involvement from our own government in real time. In Gaza, we are seeing a trapped civilian population bombed daily, starved, and denied aid while our own taxes bankroll it and our leaders block ceasefires.

And no- the child death toll isn’t some mystery. It’s based on consistent, independently verified casualty tracking from UN agencies and respected NGOs. Trying to cast doubt on it doesn’t make it go away.

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 15:45

Twiglets1 · 13/08/2025 11:31

It’s not just releasing the hostages though is it? Netanyahu’s demand include Hamas disarming & leaving Gaza.

You know this … what is the point of rehashing the same points over & over again?

And we’re not shifting the blame to Palestinians. Palestinians are not Hamas.

Palestinian civilians have no power to end this war but Hamas do and they are supposed to have their best interests at heart. Is prolonging the war really doing that?

And yet every time Hamas has agreed to a deal that would release the hostages, Israel has either rejected it, added new demands, or broken the ceasefire themselves. That’s not “rehashing points,” that’s highlighting a repeated pattern that undermines the idea that this is really about the hostages.

Of course Hamas should act in civilians’ best interests- but Israel holds overwhelming military power and with that has repeatedly chosen to bomb, starve, and displace civilians instead of taking opportunities to end the war. Both can and should be condemned.

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 13/08/2025 15:41

dairydebris · 13/08/2025 10:23

OK then. Perhaps you could point me to all the posts you made about Assad during the Syrian war? The Houthis? The Russians? The RSF?

You know nothing about my work, what I’ve campaigned for in the past or what I’m campaigning for currently, and I owe you no explanation for why I’m focusing on this urgent, visible crisis.

Lowerback · 13/08/2025 14:53

GladioliGreen · 13/08/2025 11:59

Personal attack to say someone is giving Israel a free pass when they say I blame the party that started it?

Careful you don't hurt yourself with that reach.

It seems quite reasonable to blame a war on the people that started the war. I think most people blame Nazis for WW2 and Putin for the Ukraine war.

And in this case, Hamas are not just the party who started the war, but the party who have continued it. They have continued it through continual rocket attacks and in-person terrorist attacks on Israel since Oct 7th, through publicly stating their intent to commit many more October 7th attacks, and, vitally, through retaining hostages. I can think of only one reason why people have cut the continuing actions of Hamas out of the narrative, and that is blatant bias against Israel.

Israel has been forced to adapt its tactics to the actions taken by Hamas. But there is absolute silence on that in the narrative, resulting in a very distorted understanding of what is happening.

Hamas have been quite clear on the benefit to them of their citizens suffering. There’s silence on that too.

A one sided focus on the actions of one side in a war but total silence on the actions of the other will inevitably lead to a distorted view.

Alittlefeedbackwouldbenice · 13/08/2025 14:46

Gloriia · 13/08/2025 14:31

Yes there is compassion for everyone Confused. The point is the massive amount of fury and attention this conflict generates when yemen etc hardly get a mention. It's as if people hate Israel for some reason.

Why do you care about the hostages then, given they're are only 25 surviving ones, rather than focusing on Yemen...

Lowerback · 13/08/2025 14:36

Yes it does, but for different reasons feom you OP. Israel is clearly not seeking to commit a genocide, and the emphasis on this claim and the complete ignoring of the very real genocidal intent of the government of Gaza to Israelis, does cause me real distress due to the callous disregard of Israeli humans simply because they are Israeli Jews.

smallglassbottle · 13/08/2025 14:33

Gloriia · 13/08/2025 14:31

Yes there is compassion for everyone Confused. The point is the massive amount of fury and attention this conflict generates when yemen etc hardly get a mention. It's as if people hate Israel for some reason.

It must be so frustrating, not to mention tiring.

Gloriia · 13/08/2025 14:31

Alittlefeedbackwouldbenice · 13/08/2025 14:17

So wait, you have a lot of (understandable) concern for the small number of hostages, but when it comes to 2 million starving people your response is that more people are starving in other conflicts, so we should focus on them more.

So are the numbers important or not?

If we should focus on the greatest number of starving people, why are people so concerned with 25 hostages?

Isn't there enough compassion for everyone?

Yes there is compassion for everyone Confused. The point is the massive amount of fury and attention this conflict generates when yemen etc hardly get a mention. It's as if people hate Israel for some reason.