I understand why they are so set on destroying Hamas

[FebruaryOnMyMind]

Having seen the stories of the women and girls raped at the festival (reportedly over their dead friends bodies) and the people taken off as hostage; I understand why Israel want to destroy Hamas. They have said that Hamas militants are dead men. They have said that they will go after them. The worst killing of Jewish people since the Holocaust and their 9/11 with death toll of over 1300 people.

The story of the women at the Music and Peace festival is here -

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12623023/Israeli-girls-raped-friends-bodies-Hamas-terrorists-carried-second-Holocaust-British-relatives-reveal-condemn-celebrated-atrocities-Gaza-Iran-London.html

Yet some people celebrated when the killings of Jewish people (they were from many different countries) at the festival was announced.

I feel sadness for everything going on in the middle east and for all the people who are innocent are are dying. Terrorists need to be stopped.

yes, Israel aren't blocking the two state solution. At the heart of this conflict is a wholesale desire to exterminate all Jews.

Ok. Hamas killed Israel babies. Let's let Israel kill many more of Palestine babies. Wonderful solution. Nothing to see here. Look away everybody, it is perfectly normal what is happening in Palestine.

I don't know, honest. Of course I would hate people to starve, ffs!! But what else can Israel do when its own existence is at stake? Also, how come you totally leave out the important and mostly central part Hamas played in creating this godawful mess? How come it become purely Israel's responsibility?

Because it is a choice now.

There is no end. There is NOTHING Israel can do that will make Hamas stop wanting them ALL dead.

And like it or not Hamas is embedded so deeply into Palestine it cannot be separated now. They have huge support. They have a never ending supply of cannon fodder they don’t hesitate to abuse and use. Every family is likely related to at least one Hamas fighter. They aren’t two separate entities.

Even if Israel stopped all attacks now those children still wouldn’t be housed or fed. They would continue to live in a living hell. Hamas will use all humanitarian aid to continue to build its strength, with the ultimate aim of committing even worse atrocities.

I support Israel in defending itself. Sometimes there is no ‘good’ option.

I would hesitate to use the word news in conjunction with the DM.

I support Israel. I support my Jewish loved ones who live there and are joining the army.

I don't know why jews are always held to a high standard. Like they should just kindly accept terrorism.

Oh don't forget, what happened to Israel babies, Holocaust. What is happening to Palestine babies, retaliation. It is necessary. Look away.

It's ridiculous that people expect Israel to provide supplies to people who want to annihilate them. Hamas don't give a shit if Palestinians starve, they knew when they committed their atrocities what the response would be. The level of barbarity shows they wanted this. What do people actually expect Israel to do now.

@FebruaryOnMyMind did you actually read the article or just the headline as it absolutely doesn't say that most Palestinians support Hamas. How would anyone actually know as there hasn't been an election for over 17 years and Hamas aren't exactly tolerant of those who don't support them? Hamas have been ruling without a mandate since 2014 when they cancelled the elections as there was a chance they wouldn't win. Assuming voting age is 18, the current population would have to be at least 35 to have voted in the last election. Even if every single one of those over 35s voted for Hamas, it only accounts for approx. 25% of the current population.

What is the end game here?!?

Rightly or wrongly, and understandably heated opinions being given on both sides, what is Israel's objective?

How will this stop? When? What objectives need to be met for this siege to end?

I'll start by saying I have family in Israel, one of whom has been called up as a reservist and another deployed to the south as part of army service.

I completely understand the desire for revenge on the part of Israel. They believe they evacuated from Gaza almost 10 years ago and still get rocket attacks. So they want to completely destroy Hamas now.

However, you can't destroy an ideology. Look at the Taliban. Look at the IRA. Force and weaponry didn't defeat them. Israel may crush Hamas now but they will regroup and another generation will come back to attack.

There has to be a peaceful solution. I don't know how or by whom but this cycle will never stop until one side stops retaliating. And I know Hamas' aim is to destroy Israel completely and therefore how can they sit down with them etc. but at some point, they need to try for peace again.

Rightly or wrongly, and understandably heated opinions being given on both sides, what is Israel's objective?

Israel’s objective is to wipe out Palestine just as Hamas’s objective is to wipe out Israel.

Hamas invaded peaceful areas in Israel where there was no army, killed, tortured and burned hundreds of innocent people. The main goal was to kidnap and kill as many Israelis as possible.

Hamas, who are rightly being targeted now, are hiding in the densely populated area, deliberately using its own civilians as human shield, not allowing women and kids to hide in the tunnels for shelter and literally not giving a fuck if they die or not.

Actually, your post is quite disgusting

What do you actually want to happen?

I see a lot of people posting and moralising about how Israel shouldn’t attack Palestine at all, because that is what you are asking for. Hamas are the ones using human shields.

I’m trying to understand. Do you want Israel to do nothing?

Because all responses so far seem to boil down to ‘I don’t know but the most important thing is that Israel stops what it is doing’ with no thought to what the repercussions of that would be.

I can’t imagine what the Jewish population is feeling right now. I feel sick to my stomach at the antisemitism on display, right out in the open. Blatant.

In the UK I have heard reports of Jewish children having to remove their school blazers, and have police protection outside school because of threats. Have any Muslim schools had to take the same precautions incase of extremist Jewish people?

Hamas have made it clear that their only objective is the obliteration of Israel. Israel would accept a two state solution. Hamas will not. You can't negotiate with them because they don't accept there is anything to negotiate and anyway they're just openly and fully antisemitic. And we've seen what tactics they are prepared to use.

I don't know what the solution is if Hamas don't even accept that Israel should be at the negotiating table.

Right, if true, that's it then.

We're about to witness the genocide of millions of people.

I find it unbelievable that people cannot understand the distinction between;

A country ceasing to support the passage of supplies to a sickening regime who's single aim is to annihilate their people. A country taking steps to destroy the infrastructure that group is operating from.

And a terrorist group storming a boarder and carrying out the most disgusting acts on innocent citizens. Not 'just' to kill, not to resist an incoming attack- but designed to inflict the most inhuman, stomach-churning horror.

No one'l here is saying they want genuinely innocent Palestinians to die (those who condemn the actions of Hamas not just against Israelis but the lack of regard for their own people).

But in order to stop the suffering of people on BOTH sides- Hamas has to be destroyed.

Totally the same thing. Kill them all. Man, woman, young, old. Bomb them all. There is absolutely nothing else Israel can do.

So according to OP..
when ira was killing in the uk, British government should have starved northern Irish people until they gave the IRA people to the government.
also Irish could have left the country whilst the British government was throwing bombs, totally their fault for not leaving (the biggest open air prison in the world).
basically it’s all the fault of the people from Gaza for being born there.

Hope youre also supporting what putin is doing cuz it’s the same thing in the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Still no actual answer then except ‘Israel must stop any actions it is taking to defend itself right now’?

It’s very fun being able to sit on a moral high horse with no stake in the game isn’t it?

@PallyRoe I want Israel to lead with courage and dignity. I want them to actively practice de-escalation. I want them to take the moral high ground. I want them to recognise their privilege and act with integrity and respect for all life.

And who is supplying all the weapons to both sides I wonder

As an aside...people who live in kibbutzes are leftist and usually secular. It's not a right wing way of living. They'll generally be keen critics of Netanyahu.

Hamas aren't just evil, they're fucking thick.

@llifeturnsonadime no. It's not 'do nothing' or 'starve two million people'. Such black and white thinking.

Both sides are killing innocent people. That's what I care about. Nobody has a right to kill innocent civilians as Hamas did or starve people to death or die due to having medical supplies cut off like Israel are doing to the innocent Palestinians that aren't Hamas. Anyone with half a brain can see it is not a case of one side innocently defending itself. You can never justify the killing of innocent people.

I understand the anger of some of the OPs, but it isn't going to change most peoples minds as most people are able to see the complexity of the situation and that both sides are killing innocent people and commiting war crimes (which to be fair I have found surprising given what Brits are usually like and how easily polarised they are).