Israel ‘hit squad’ kill 3 Palestinians in West Bank Hospital

[Desertrose2023]

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2024/1/30/israel-troops-kill-three-palestinians-in-west-bank-hospital-ministry

As my previous thread was deleted apparently because the title didn’t reflect the news article, here is a new thread titled as per the article, in order to discuss this incident.

I'm sure the Biden admin will be asking their Israeli counterparts stern questions about this 🙄

The hit squad took out 3 known terrorists

Why do you have an issue with that. Do you think they shouldn't have?

Thank you OP
I was confused by the deletion but glad to see you’ve re posted.

What I don’t understand is this.
These assassins have the intel to know who these men are, where they were staying, and what look like. Could they not have used this same intel to avoid the senseless killing of thousands of civilians and the destruction of homes, schools and hospitals?

Is "incident" really the correct term for "literal war crime"? Yes, this is a violation of the Geneva Conventions not in one way but literally in several - the most egregious one of them arguably being them literally dressing up as medical staff (the correct term for that is "perfidy".

To be honest, though, I am not even particularly shocked. Not only is this nothing new for this iteration - it also mirrors stuff that happened during the 2nd intifada (just: back then it would hardly ever be reported in UK MSM).

What I do find shocking, though, is the multitude of pro-Israel social media accounts openly celebrating this. I mean, who on earth openly cheers on war crimes? They have completely dropped all pretenses and, essentially, have just given up on PR. Someone tell their government - the state could be saving a minor fortune by just laying all their public diplomacy staff off!

Commentary from an Israeli Knesset member on this incident as something to be “celebrated”.

further commentary from military analyst Greg Stoker.

I have an issue with people being murdered in their hospital beds, yes.

WRONG POST QUOTED ... this was in response to the "no problem" one.

So, if a bunch of Qassam Brigades disguised themselves as doctors and disabled people, entered a hospital in Netanya, and assassinated Israeli soldiers receiving treatment there, ...

... you would be completely okay with this? Is that what you are saying?

Because, honestly, I would absolutely not be okay with that - and I have very little love for the occupation army! Most people are quite generally speaking not okay with war crimes. Luckily for literally all of us!

I’m waiting for Israel to claim no knowledge of this hit squad and to claim it wasn’t them but Hamas executing “traitors” even though the hit squad are clearly armed with Mossad top of the line weapons and moving exactly how Mossad are trained to move.

"Hamas confirmed that Jalamneh was one of its members. The Jenin Brigade, which includes a number of Palestinian armed resistance groups, said two of the three men were members of Islamic Jihad."

You could look at this different ways. These members of resistance groups or terrorist organisations, depending on your perspective were as the IDF have said all along hiding within hospitals and by civilians.

However, I assume if war if terrorists or enemy combatants hide in hospitals then you are not allowed to engage. Probably not armed, they should have taken them captive.

It feels like it's OK for 'resistance fighters' as some would label them, to kill but IDF not. I think there are many wrongs in this conflict and its not black and white. The children are suffering on both 'sides'. There are no winners on this conflict. Killing is awful. Too many have died.

If everyone put down their weapons and negotiations could take place. Sadly that won't happen.

One Hamas and two PIJ terrorists

If it's a war crime, they'll be prosecuted

Personally three fewer terrorists can never be a bad thing.

I do feel Israel is going to be damned whateve they do. This was a precision hit based on intel and will potentially have minimised risk to civilians, surely that preferable to an air strike?

Israel aren't denying it btw @MercanDede

https://twitter.com/EylonALevy/status/1752298768051863762

They should not have as it’s a war crime! It’s illegal to go into a hospital and kill anyone, even a known enemy combatant receiving treatment.

So the international law of conflict applies to everyone except for this hit squad and to point this out is antisemitism? Listen to yourself, no one is above the law.

From the Guardian:
The hospital spokesperson, Tawfiq al-Shobaki, said there was no exchange of fire and the three were killed by Israeli forces in a targeted killing. He said the Israelis attacked doctors, nurses, and hospital security during the raid.
“What happened is a precedent,” he said. “There was never an assassination inside a hospital. There were arrests and assaults, but not an assassination.”

I don't care who they were, killing someone in their sleep is abominable.

The IDF should not act a judge, jury and executioner. Arrest and give a fair trial by all means, but to slaughter someone in their sleep is awful (and cowardly).

And yes, it's been accepted they were part of the PIJ, but have they been convicted of any offences that they specifically have committed? Do those offences carry the death penalty?

Why could they not have arrested them as they were said to be unarmed? One was half paralysed
Is this going to be the new normal now for the Palestinians? That the occupation raid their hospitals and murder in cold blood whilst patients including children wait terrified

If the 3 were not shooting, or presenting an imminent threat, is it lawful to kill them? In the UK I think they don't shoot unless they suspect a bomb, gun, whatever, but maybe it's different if you are an occupying force in the West Bank?

As pointed out by Aswad earlier in this thread

Israel can't win.

They took out three terrorists without collateral damage

And mumsnetters are boo hooing about it

It is a precision hit and what they should have been doing in civilian infrastructure all over Gaza that is not protected to the same degree as a hospital is under the law. Except they are required not to kill, but to capture and arrest any enemy that is unarmed or doesn’t pose an immediate threat this includes surrendering combatants, injured combatants and yes, combatants sleeping in a hospital where they are receiving medical care.

These are extra judicial killings carried out in a medical facility - in Occupied Palestinian Territory - where these men were being treated.

Capital punishment without trial in a place that is protected under international law may be A- OK in your book but it’s not in mine.

Israel can “win” the laws are very clear and not that hard to follow. There is no excuse for the “most moral army in the world” to be breaking every law on the books.

No arrest and fair trial? Just murder them in cold blood while they are unarmed in a hospital room? That seems reasonable to you?

It was not lawful to kill them. Not at all.