What was the purpose of this level of destruction?

[Stripes56]

Gazans are returning to their homes and are horrified to see the level of destruction. Their joy mixed with despair.

www.timesofisrael.com/gazans-joy-over-ceasefire-tempered-by-shock-as-they-return-to-destroyed-homes/

We can feel joy that the hostages are returning home, relief that Hamas will be sidelined - but how do we reconcile with the death and destruction that has happened in Gaza?

Are you suggesting it's not true? They did. It is on social media. It was also on the 6 o'clock news and stills were in the papers.

Do you think Hamas are a banned terrorist organisation for no reason?

Judging from this thread, if there's one war Hamas won hands down it's the propaganda war.

Because I don't know much about this war because I don't care TBH. But I thought Hamas was for the plastines and US whites are the agressesors.

So does half the country and they’re grossly and almost comically mistaken

Now we see Hamas executing men from other clans and Israeli’s welcoming the final living hostages home into the arms of their families.

One looks like life and love, the other like horror and death. It makes you wonder if the media diet we’ve had for the last two years has been completely objective.

There are of course many more videos of Palestinians returning home, but then so many more of them have been held by the Israelis.

Why do you think Israel wouldn't allow any journalists in to report exactly what was happening in Gaza @EmpressoftheMundane?

That is complete nonsense. There are loads of photos of Palestinian prisoners being greeted by their families also.

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c7516x2zy6ko

Agreed. Blatant attempt to dehumanise Palestinians. "Look how civilized the Israeli's are in comparison"

The Israelis aren’t turning on each other. You may not like it, but objectively, the Palestinians are. It doesn’t make them less human. It makes them less reasonable and less likely to compromise. This is germane. It explains Israel actions in part. How do you protect yourself from people who will do tjis to their own?

Rubbish.

Israel follow a Western framework when there are internal disagreements. They’re a democratic, civilised nation and have freedom of speech and public assembly. Look how many assembled to protest against BN.

Gaza does not follow a Western framework, it follows an Islamic one. This means theocracy, which is an antithesis of democracy and necessitates harsh punishments, enforced religious law and uses this to silence/kill opposition.

This is what you wanted. For them to rule themselves as you see fit. And this is it.

Hamas and militia gangs are, ordinary Palestinians are not turning on each other stop making things up. Law and order and the social fabric of Gaza has completely broken down. Why are you comparing what is happening in Israel to what is happening in Gaza? Have you looked at any footage of Gaza?

For them to rule themselves as you see fit. And this is it

Don't be ridiculous this is it not it, is it? Do you honestly believe law and order, government institutions, schools, hospitals universities, civil society, housing, economy etc would miraculously appear overnight once there was a ceasefire. You're talking nonsense

This is what you wanted
You don't know anything about me so don't claim you know what I want!

It is hard to imagine how Gazans will rebuild their lives in the ruins that Israel has left them.

There is so much work to do.

We can’t take our eyes off what is happening in Gaza. I can understand why some people will want to continue to show their solidarity with Palestinians - whether it be wearing a keffiyeh or continue to march

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/18/its-like-a-nuclear-bomb-has-hit-shocked-palestinians-return-home-to-desolation

@Stripes56 ’We can’t take our eyes off what is happening in Gaza.’

I listen to the radio almost constantly, flitting between talk and news shows. Yesterday Gaza wasn’t the topic on any radio show.

’It is hard to imagine how Gazans will rebuild their lives in the ruins that Israel has left them.’

Their government should have anticipated this. Before the genocidal attack of October 7th, Israel rarely did any major destruction in Gaza, despite the constant missile attacks. But that’s terrorists for you.
Gaza will again receive billions in aid and support. And still they will bitch about the unfairness of it all.

The same way Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya did presumably. Syria is still a wreck.

I disagree with you - no one could have anticipated this level of destruction - although many were concerned about what Israel would do following on from 7/10 given their past actions.

Do you think Netanyahu and his government anticipated that they would do this - or be allowed to do this- immediately after 7/10?

And if Netanyahu’s government did immediately anticipate this - what does that say about their intent to systematically destroy infrastructure?

I didn’t listen to the radio yesterday but always do so on week days- it is good to know that news on BBC at least continues to cover what is happening in the region. So do the online news sources - including in the states.

There will continue be strong interest in what is happening here- not least as Trump and his SIL have a strong interest in this too.

You really don't like the people of Gaza, do you @HellsBalls?

You would probably prefer to leave them in rubble for all eternity.

I'm not keen on any nation which allows themselves to be ruled by a terrorist organisation whose declared aim is to wipe out another country, who have been firing rockets into that country and killing/maiming people incessantly for years, who have subverted the absolute fortune the area has been given in aid which was meant to build a modern state for the Palestinian people into financing their war machine.

What Israel is doing in the West Bank is inexcusable, but from this thread and all the uninformed protests nobody would imagine that Hamas has been bombing Israel for a very long time.

Financed by Iran and by subverted or outright fraudulent western "aid", Hamas intends to destroy Israel. What do people expect Israel to do?
.

Yep. They'll receive billions to rebuild, get loads of support and hamas/isis/JihadisRUs whatever they will call themselves will regroup and build more tunnels. History will repeat itself.

All Israel can do is damage limitation sadly. It is a very disturbing situation with no end in sight.

Gaza was really well developed, typical middle eastern country. Ok, for victim points they called nice suburban areas ‘refugee camps’, but it seemed very civilized.
They threw that away attacking their neighbours, starting war, and setting themselves back 30 years.

They unmade their bed, and they can lie in it.

There is a difference between ordinary Palestinians and Hamas - just as I imagine there’s a difference between Israelis and those in the Knesset whose actions have led to concerns about war crimes?

No there isn’t. They say themselves that Hamas is in every house and they’re all Hamas.

I don’t get why their Western supporters are so desperate to separate the two, when Palestinians themselves don’t, and can only assume it’s to do with what they’d have to admit they were openly supporting.

Nothing like Israelis and the extremists in the Knesset. Israelis in general don’t refuse to have peace with Palestinians, aren’t indoctrinated to want to kill Palestinians from birth and didn’t vote for and support a barbaric and destructive terrorist entity to rule them, deliberately destroy any chance of building their own economy so they have to live off international aid so their leaders can syphon it off or celebrate thousands of Israeli civilians, breaking into Gaza to slaughter, gang rape and mutilate thousands of Palestinians and drag hundreds back into tunnels in Israel including babies and children, then pretend they weren’t starting a war.

The few extremists in Israeli politics don’t dictate government policy or the behaviour of the public at large.

Israel spent many decades ensuring Hamas held power in Gaza.

It ensured Hamas was well funded and able to arm itself to have control over Gaza. A terrorist organisation ruling over Gaza was a shared goal of Hamas and Israel's right wing government.

Hamas and Israel have always been allies.

That is because a strong Hamas would prevent the PLO unifying Gaza and the West Bank, paving the was for a single Palestinian state.

It's the old and reliable tactic of divide and conquer.

And it's much easier for Netanyahu to wage an aggressive war against Gaza ruled by a terrorist organisation than it would have been against a more secular and liberal PLO.

Netanyahu had been waiting for Hamas to do something to justify his full scale obliteration of Gaza.

It wouldn't suprise me if Israeli security forces knew of a planned large scale attack prior to October 7, but allowed it to happen because it plays into the desired endgame of Netanyahu and his hawks.

It only makes sense, after all, Israel ensured Hamas was powerful this allowing it to carry out such an attack.

So the Palestinians and Hamas had no agency or choice to chose peace when Israel left Gaza in 2005, to build a State with trust that they are done with terrorism, no agency not to carry out the barbaric acts of Oct 7th, not to take babies and children hostage.

It was all Israel’s fault.

Pathetic victim blaming nonsense.