Gaza death toll rises to close to 62000 as missing added

[Lalaloveya]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/3/gaza-death-toll-rises-close-to-62000-as-missing-added

The new death toll includes 17,881 children, including 214 newborn infants.

At least 1,155 medical personnel, 205 journalists and 194 civil defence workers are reported to have been killed.

More than 2million people have been displaced and 111,588 people injured.

Maybe I do.

It is not something relevant to this particular discussion.

If you start a thread on theocracy in Iran I may well join in the discussion.

If we take Bible claims as real and apply it to today's politics, Palestinians are also entitled to the promised land by bloodline. Because Bible promises it to a bloodline, not to a country. This bloodline today represents all Abrahamic religions, Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Only an antisemite cant see the difference between Israel, Israelis and the current government. I hate Trump. I don't hate Americans. Its not hard.

This is nonsense. Israel is not a theocracy. It is not governed by religious leaders . Iran and Saudi Arabia are theocracies. The predominance of religious parties in the current government is a political development (people voted for them, democratically, they can vote them out) not a structural one (like say the Bishops in the UK house of Lords) & their power is disproportionate because of PR/coalition politics. Its arguable that Israel is a secular democracy. Though it is a Jewish state it does not have an official religion and all religions are protected by law with freedom to worship. Shabbat restrictions are no different than the Sunday trading restrictions we used to have in the UK (vestiges remain). Secular democracy has had no effect whatsoever on people across the middle east wanting to kill Jewish people and destroy Israel.

The theocratic pressure in the region comes from Hamas, by the way, obviously supported by Iran which is a full theocracy. When they took over they declared the 'end of secularism and heresy in the Gaza Strip' & set about imposing Sharia, enforced by religious police.

To minimise the sharp rise in antisemitism around the world following 7 October is sickening. Jewish people are telling us they are in fear. Its not up to you to tell them not to be and all these recent posts from you reveal that you dont even think they should have the protection of the state of Israel. There wasnt massive goodwill towards Israel. There were celebrations around the world on 7/8 October and a great deal of silence.

You did when you defended them being attacked on account of something for which they aren't responsible. Don't be obtuse.

Meanwhile you're grouping all Palestinians in with Hamas, and somehow that's NOT racist?

Where did I do that? I have regularly discussed and interrogated the difference between hamas and palestinian civilians.

I would be satisfied.
You would deny Jews their state to which they can flee when anti semitism in Europe and the US becomes unbearable. History often repeats itself. The pogroms of the 19th century in Eastern Europe were not the first and various heinous events like the slaughter of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics, the murder of Jews at a Kosher delicatessen in Paris, just to name two, are stark reminders that Jewish people in the diaspora have to be ever vigilant against Jew hate.

I said
"Did hamas even think before planning 7th October (over many, many months) that it would not be the best course of action!"

The question was did hamas even think thst it would not be tge best course of action.

You put your spin on it and a bit like 2 + 2 (doesn't) = 5 you then made incorrect assumptions. Strange and incorrect.

They were taken hostage on October 7th . There was no war at that time so I’m not sure how they could be prisoners of war ..

I'm sure those who were the victims of the attack that day would think that it was most certainly a conflict or a war.

Not sure what your point is
You can’t claim the hostages were prisoners of war if neither they nor their country was engaged in war when they were taken hostage..

It was a terrorist attack during which they were taken hostage. That precipitated the war.
Rather like prior to WW1 starting, it was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria/Hungary that began hostilities.
PoWs should be allowed visits from the Red Cross. No Israeli hostage was visited by them, ergo they weren't PoWs.

I thought Israel called it a war. Maybe they only consider it a war when they're on the offensive.

Also debatable whether what happened in Gaza was a war. If one side is a guerrilla terrorist force and the laws of armed conflict and humanitarian law don't seem to apply to the supposed legitimate force involved then it's probably not a war.

Lalaloveya of course it was a war!
The terrorist attack on 7 October precipitated it as I explained in the above post. Israel began bombing Gaza in retaliation as soon as they realised the scale of Hamas' attack
Hope that helps your comprehension.

Usually war involves two armies and international humanitarian law. My comprehension is fine thanks.

Armies are not always used in wars. The Taliban for example, or the Vietcong.

Neither of those are comparable to Hamas in my opinion but it's derailing the thread.

The IDF is a legitimate armed force yet its members behave like terrorists so the law of armed conflict is fairly meaningless now anyway.

You were trying to defend the PP’s description of the hostages as “prisoners of war” .
That was offensive.

I wasn't, but fair play. It's a discussion forum. Discussion is allowed.