To think its not okay to great gazans as israel has been

[LethargicButAwesome]

Gaza has no food, no electricity and no water. On top of that they are being bombarded constantly
Israel has bombed the only escape route for refugees via Egypt, there is no way out
israel continues the blockage by air, land and sea - no aid can get in, no one can get out.
israel has said they will obliterate Gaza.

this is unprecedented, no matter what happens with governments or wars, you have refugee camps…safe havens…(often difficult) access to water - how are we even debating that this is acceptable? Am i the only person thinking this is the human race at its absolute worst? Its heartbreaking to watch, literally noone is doing anything - we are observing a genocide.

Yes, I agree.

So I think we can all agree that Israel
is just as bad as Hamas. Except that they have murdered far more innocent children.

I'm not following the body count. I don't measure this situation by that. You do. That's fine.

‘I'm not following the body count. I don't measure this situation by that. You do. That's fine.’

its hard for anyone to be considered when so many children are still dying.

And I would be saying exactly the same if it was the Palestinians in the position of power bombing the bell out of Israelis.

And that inability/refusal among most of its audience to think clearly when bombarded with constant emotive propaganda involving children is exactly why Hamas ensures that children are in harm's way at all times. It's ironic.

Yesterday the UN highlighted multiple breaches of international law by Israel. The response was outrage from the Israeli ambassador calling for resignations at the top of the UN security council.

Israeli politicians seem incapable of separating Hamas from the Palestinian civilian population and see them as one and the same. It seems deaths will continue to soar disproportionately all the time leading Israeli government ministers are incapable of separating a militant group with a civilian population and think they are all the same thing.

It's one thing dehumanising Hamas, another thing entirety continuing a war in the belief that Hamas and the entire civilian population is one and the same.

I know, it’s so annoying isn’t it that people keep going on emotionally about thousands of innocent children being massacred. People should shut up and let Israel do whatever it wants.

You're free to continue to contribute to it. Most people are unable and unwilling to stop, regardless of the consequences for the actual children, as Hamas understands.

So I think the reason I'm finding it hard to say "yes it's devastating how many children are being killed in Gaza" and just leave it at that is because I know the only reason it's Palestinian children who are dying and not Israeli ones is purely because Hamas and their friends failed. Because Israel has the bigger army. Without the army, Israel would've been wiped out years ago, including all the people inside it. If the army stands down, Israel will be gone by next week. Because Hamas and other Palestinian organisations don't want a state. They want the state. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

Their goal is to rid the world of Israel and Jews. How do you reason or negotiate with someone who literally just wants to kill you and won't show remorse for it? I'm sure we've all heard that phone call by now about having killed 10 Jews (not Israelis - Jews) with his bare hands? He was gloating. His parents were thanking him, thanking Allah. They were crying with joy.

If given the opportunity they'll come back to finish the job. I mean, 10 more were found trying to infiltrate Israel again just yesterday.

The only reason there aren't more dead Israeli babies and children is because the army has been successfully protecting them. It's the only reason.

I am devastated at the loss of Palestinian lives. It's not a genocide though. They're not the target. You'll know what true genocide is the day the IDF fails in their mission to protect Israel.

Did you know it wasn't just Hamas and PIJ who infiltrated Israel, killed Israelis and took hostages? There were also "opportunistic civilians" (the phrasing isn't mine, it's what the media called them). So not terrorists, just your average Palestinian who considered it acceptable to go in and take hostages, as though it's a perfectly normal thing to do.

And the world said nothing. Actually, worse than that - people around the world were chanting "death to the Jews! Gas the Jews!" within hours of hearing about Hamas' massacre 2.5 weeks ago. Supporting them. Supporting their attempt at actual ethnic cleansing.

Yes, they weren't successful. But what about next time? Or the time after that?

Israel need to do something. They have no choice.

To paraphrase Golda Meir, "we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Palestinians for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons." That's how I feel, anyway. No one is celebrating this tragic loss of life. It's beyond horrendous. But the alternative seems to be the slaughter of a further 7 million people, assuming Hamas only exterminate the Jewish population of Israel leaving everyone else alone.

I don't know what the answer is because all the options are fucking awful

Still doesn’t excuse what’s happening but this was a good post.

Is it verified that average Palestinian civilians went in to Israel and took hostages?

I don't think it's very clear at the moment - I've read that that there are another 50 hostages held by other Gazan terror groups and 'local yobs' apart from the 220 Hamas are holding

Hamas did say from the outset that other un-invited people came a long [and were responsible for the worst of the atrocities -??? sounds convenient but who knows

Examination of Hamas footage and eye-witness accounts of survivors suggest that there were more people there than first thought so maybe other sadists along for the attack

I suppose it maybe could explain the extreme nature of the attack when it was only Hamas intent to grab some hostages not to start a war with Israel. I don't think Hamas is stupid enough to bring down the wrath of Israel like this after years of planning but who knows???

Hamas built their army. You tell us.

‘Is it verified that average Palestinian civilians went in to Israel and took hostages?’

no, of course not. But the actions of a few don’t mean that thousands of children should be slaughtered by an Israeli war machine intent on revenge and punishment. Hamas are terrorists - like Isis,
according to US, Israel. So why are a million people being punished for the actions of terrorists?

Collateral damage to use the official term. Civilians were also offered safe routes. There's no easy answer to eliminating Hamas and preventing further terrorism.

I don't agree this is genocide either. Not deliberate, specific, targeted genocide.

I saw a photo of teddy bears in a public square in israel, each with a photo of a child/baby being held hostage. It made me so sad, I can't help but wonder how they're managing to care for young babies (if they are caring for them, I really hope so) and those children being separated from their parents. Hostage taking isn't right, but it should absolutely never be children.

Equally I'm angry at the Israeli government's lack of cooperation and almost standoffish-ness regarding the crisis in Gaza. To let premature babies die due to a lack of fuel, parents giving their children identity bracelets so they can be identified if they're killed and too badly injured to be visually identified, or if they end up orphaned.

For goodness sake Sunak, your condemnation should not lie with the UN. Gaza is being destroyed, slowly but surely, its inhabitants are dying at an alarming rate. SPEAK UP.

Yes, it’s appallingly cruel to hold children hostage. Their parents must be beside themselves.

Also appallingly cruel to kill and maim other children in revenge or to leave them orphaned.

I think your post really does capture how most of us feel. Deeply sad.

The trauma of the children who saw their parents being murdered in their last moments, before being killed themselves, must have been unimaginable. And that of the children left alive, after having watched their siblings and/or parents killed and taken. I can’t bear to think of it.

I watched an interview of the sister of a 19 year old female soldier, who was taken hostage. She refuses to believe she will never see her again. Very emotional 😢

Is anyone else beside themselves with the UKs reaction? The death toll in gaza is climbing everyday in the hundreds. The language israeli politicians are using is clearly genocidal but the UK is determined in its unwavering support? I dont understand, i thought we had finely moved past our history and become a humanitarian nation-feels like we are going backwards and in 20 years time the genocide of gazans will be in history books as a lesson learnt on the sogns of gemocide.

I'm disgusted but not surprised. A right wing government offering unwatered support to a right wing government.

*Unwavering.

In all of this, that's all you're disgusted by?

Are you also beside yourself with the 10 million pounds the UK is giving to Palestinian civilians?