This picture of Israeli soldiers smiling for a selfie in front of a destroyed Gaza...

[changefromhr]

I know there are lots of pictures. I try to avoid looking as its just so awful but this one couldn't be avoided.

How sickening that the soldiers can smile and act so happy in front of all that destruction.

This is just another picture, from the thousands, that shows how the Palestinians and their lives and homes are seen as worthless.

@Dibilnik

it's a bit of a cheek to expect Israel to stop

I genuinely don't feel able to engage with you further after reading this.

The Israeli government is starving a population including thousands of children to death. People are watching their children slowly die from lack of food. It's an unthinkably cruel way to condemn children to death. The fact that Hamas have been unthinkably cruel too doesn't change that.

It's perfectly possible to condemn the Israeli government and Hamas while also expressing support for Israeli civilians and Palestinian civilians alike. Your refusal to condemn Israel's government unless you say 'but' afterwards in relationship to Hamas' behaviour is unbelievable at this point considering the ongoing civilian suffering in Gaza.

I do wish you well as an individual, as I would anyone, but really hope you reflect on your words about this situation when you look back on it in the future.

My god.

The complete absence of humanity is chilling.

Having said I would STFU, I do just want to respond to this because it's the whole point.

Threads like this make it seem that Israel is just doing this for a laugh. There is a bit more to it than that.

Nothing says "taking things seriously" and "fully committed to hostage rescue" like a cheerful group photo outside a school.

Outside a school they’ve just set fire to

It's disgusting.

I'm not quite sure how burning down a school for Deaf children helps make people safer, but I'm sure someone will try to justify it somehow.

@Dibilnik

I said I wouldn't engage but I'm too baffled by your response not to.

What about my post implies I think Israel is behaving the way it is 'for a laugh'?

You've not reacted to the picture of IDF soldiers smiling in front of a school for deaf children. A school they have destroyed.

For you to respond to my post and ignore that it's unbelievable.

I don't understand how it benefits you to do that. To not say 'yes when it comes to that picture the behaviour of the IDF is completely unacceptable'.

If you were to acknowledge at any point the wrongdoing of the IDF it would go a long way to you having more meaningful discussions on here.

A school for deaf children. Destroyed. And they pose in front of it smiling. It beggars belief that you don't condemn that.

@whatsitcalledwhen I'm not sure what you want from me. You already clearly consider me beneath contempt and anything I say is only going to make matters worse.

This might be the first war to be waged so much on social media. It is hard to know how to react to a photo like this without knowing what information they were acting on. Also, to be blunt, soldiers tend not to kneel weeping in front of the destruction they have created. It seems naive to think it beggars belief that this sort of thing happens in a war situation. I'm not really sure what else to say.

You could perhaps say your thoughts on people taking commemorative photos outside of educational and other establishments they've just set on fire?

If you think it's justifiable, you could say why? (And that's not a case of "well, lots of bad things happen in conflicts" but actually explaining why you think it's justifiable).

God, what a pile-on!

OK, for what it's worth, here are my evil and disgusting thoughts:

It would be justifiable if this is not just an educational establishment. Dare I say it, Hamas are known to use such places as their base.

Of course, we have no idea what's going on here. Which is why I think we should hesitate to share this sort of image, as though we know the full picture.

Maybe people's reactions to your posts should give cause to reflect upon what you're saying and how you're saying it.

Fully defending an army who are committing genocide, and justifying their reasons for committing said genocide, is bound to be controversial. You shouldn't be surprised.

And it is a genocide. An entire population is trapped, is being bombarded and starved. There's no other word for it at this stage of the conflict.

Also, calling people "anti-semitic" when they criticise the IDF is bound not to go well for you.

Umm, 2 posts from people already actively discussing something isn't a pile on.

Personally, I struggle to see how commemorative photos in conflict zones are at all professional or respectful to either the civilians in harm's way, or the families of hostages and those killed in the atrocities.

I don't think @whatsitcalledwhen was saying it beggars belief that this sort of thing happens (we know that this sort of thing is happening and that it's happened in other conflicts), but that it beggars belief that someone looking at that situation would comment as though they saw nothing wrong with it.

Also, calling people "anti-semitic" when they criticise the IDF is bound not to go well for you.

What strikes me as antisemitic is a thread like this, the whole purpose of which seems to be to dehumanise Israelis.

Not really. It's highlighting the dehumanising of Palestinians.

Why is it anti-semitic and dehumanising to express that it seems inappropriate and to show a lack of awareness when people take selfies and group photos surrounded by or with a backdrop of death and suffering?

@Dibilnik

Also, to be blunt, soldiers tend not to kneel weeping in front of the destruction they have created. It seems naive to think it beggars belief that this sort of thing happens in a war situation.

It was the fact it happened that 'beggars belief'.

It was your reaction to it.

Typo. This was meant to say it WASN'T the fact it happens that beggars belief.

It was your reaction to it.

Oh, come off it. This sort of thread is as pointless and offensive as if I were to post photos of Gazans celebrating in the streets on 8 October and ask you to comment.

You’re more than welcome to open that thread and most likely you’ll find that people will agree with you. Doesn’t seem to happen the same thing about idf. Idf is never at fault. The loops some pro idf supporters to go through not to blame at all idf is a bit depressing to be honest. Hamas is horrible. So is idf , they’re not defending and protecting civilians,

@Dibilnik I can't speak for @Scirocco but if pictures oh Gazans celebrating 7/10 were shared I would absolutely, unequivocally say those pictures were fucking abhorrent too.

You don't have to pick a 'side' and be unwaveringly in support of them even when presented with examples of them acting disgustingly.

That's what I don't get. What benefit is there for you to say that the picture of the deaf school burning behind smiling soldiers needs context before being labelled as awful? All it does is further fuel tensions by a complete lack of any empathy for the other 'side' so to speak.

Hamas are disgusting, their behaviour is terrible. They are terrorists and 7/10 was an unspeakable atrocity.

The Israeli government (not civilians) are disgusting, their behaviour is terrible, they are knowingly starving a population to death including thousands of children.

They are not mutually exclusive positions.

If there were a thread showing verified photos of people celebrating after an atrocity like that, of course I would condemn that. I don't know why anyone wouldn't. How would that be offensive?

There could then perhaps be a discussion about the various contributing factors that have led to those scenes emerging and about how we, in our own small ways, could take steps to help combat those factors.

In this thread, there are photos of soldiers, actual military personnel, in their uniforms and as such representing their country and government, behaving in ways which appear unprofessional and disrespectful. This conflict is very serious. Innocent lives have been lost, hostages seized from their homes, a population is starving and dying. The alarming disconnect between the seriousness of the situation and the apparent lack of concern for human suffering from some of the very people who need to be acting and be seen to be acting with professionalism is concerning.

There could then perhaps be a discussion about the various contributing factors that have led to those scenes emerging and about how we, in our own small ways, could take steps to help combat those factors.

Really? OK, I'm ducking out... Enjoy that conversation, then, without me accidentally derailing it!