The army is warning the settlers around Gaza that in the coming hours they will hear a series of massive explosions in Gaza.

Why Dublin and Cork surely you mean Belfast and Derry, cities in the country where the conflict actually was?

Maybe if 1200 had been murdered in Brighton and hundreds abducted then tortured for 2yrs they would have also retaliated in a proportionate way?

Tbf gaza is only 25 miles so asking civilians to evacuate for their own safety while they eliminate terrorists is more realistic than evacuating the whole of NI which is considerably bigger.

'Important to note that Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal just 3 days ago and Israel has responded with terrorism'

You're getting mixed up. The IDF aren't terrorists. Hamas & co are the terrorists. Fixed that for you.

Why Dublin and Cork surely you mean Belfast and Derry, cities in the country where the conflict actually was?

Maybe if 1200 had been murdered in Brighton and hundreds abducted then tortured for 2yrs they would have also retaliated in a proportionate way?

Tbf gaza is only 25 miles so asking civilians to evacuate for their own safety while they eliminate terrorists is more realistic than evacuating the whole of NI which is considerably bigger.

Maybe that's how England should have responded to the IRA. They bomb the Grand Hotel in Brighton, we raze Dublin to the ground. They bomb Omagh, we bounce the rubble in Cork. As long as we tell the residents to leave first it's all good, right? They can just take what they can carry and go and live in a tent in Galway or something.

They're saying it openly: the city will be wiped
off the map.

Israeli Defense Minister Katz:
"Gaza City will look like Beit Hanoun"

Important to note that Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal just 3 days ago and Israel has responded with terrorism.

@Wedonttalkaboutboris it was my original wording:

That, along with the info about how many bombs have been dropped and the images of destruction in such a densely populated area make me struggle to see how lots of innocent people haven’t been caught up in this conflict) not @Twiglets1

Reflecting on that phrasing, I would change it to say that it’s hard to see how lots of innocent people haven’t been killed or injured by the IDF’s tactics which seem to totally disregard civilian life. Furthermore, their tactics (plus the way the government speak about the people in Gaza) makes me concerned that their tactics are a concerted effort to destroy as much of Gaza and its people as possible.

Actually, it’s not nitpicking- it’s about accuracy. ‘Caught up in it’ suggests civilians are incidental casualties, when in reality Israel’s deliberate policies, bombing densely populated areas, cutting off essentials, destroying shelters- directly endanger and kill civilians. Words shape understanding; minimizing this turns deliberate harm into ‘accidental’ tragedy.

It’s striking how unable or unwilling some are to critically examine Israeli actions that are directly causing mass civilian suffering. Selective outrage.

‘Caught up in it’ implies Israel has accidentally killed civilians.

This morning, Israel bombed and destroyed a camp for the displaced in Deir Al-Balah. The camp was housing around 200 families.

Deliberately depriving people (including 1.1 million children) of food, water, medical supplies, and safe shelter goes far beyond simply being ‘caught up in it.’ That’s a policy choice with predictable consequences, and it’s precisely why so many civilians (especially children) are dying.

Apologies - tired brain didn’t spot the author overlap.

As I said, the number of deaths I take with a pinch of salt, however there are other details in the article that are concerning - the IDF soldier accounts and the changing figures released. That, along with the info about how many bombs have been dropped and the images of destruction in such a densely populated area make me struggle to see how lots of innocent people haven’t been caught up in this conflict. Plus quotes from powerful people re Gaza and its people. But I know we’ve gone over this all before together!

Of course the very army responsible for such a huge number of civilian deaths is ‘disputing the figures’ 🙄

Even if the IDF disputes the figures, the high civilian death toll and the sheer scale of destruction- bombed hospitals, schools, homes, and blocked aid- can’t simply be written off as ‘misunderstood military data.’ Whether it’s 2:1 or 5:1 civilian-to-combatant deaths, the pattern shows massive, indiscriminate harm to civilians. Independent reporting and satellite imagery corroborate that the humanitarian impact is catastrophic.

From another thread:

The IDF denies a report claiming that figures from a “classified military intelligence database” indicate five out of six Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip during the war were civilians, saying that the authors of the story lack “fundamental military understanding.”

The report cites intelligence sources as saying that the total number of terror operatives killed is likely higher than the number in the database, because it does not include Hamas and PIJ operatives who were killed but not identified by name; Gazans who participated in the fighting and were not members of the two groups; or Hamas members who were not members of its military wing.

In January, the military said 20,000 terror operatives had been killed, and yesterday it updated that number to over 22,000. Hamas authorities say 62,000 people in the Strip have been killed during the war.

In May, IDF officials said that the combatant-to-civilian deaths ratio has remained relatively the same throughout the war, with two to three civilians killed for every dead Hamas terror operative.

Responding to the Guardian, the IDF says, “The figures presented in the article are incorrect and do not reflect the data available in the IDF’s systems.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-denies-report-claiming-that-its-own-database-found-that-vast-majority-of-gaza-dead-were-civilians/

https://www.972mag.com/israeli-intelligence-database-83-percent-civilians-militants/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/aug/21/revealed-israeli-militarys-own-data-indicates-civilian-death-rate-of-83-in-gaza-war

Two takes on the same figures. Pinch of salt for the number of casualties due to their source, but, as the article notes, the Israeli army has referenced/used those numbers before so maybe they’re not so far off the truth.