Knowing immediately that the Hamas attack on 7 Oct 2023 would lead to the total destruction of Gaza ... wouldn't that mean knowing about the tunnels which would make it impossible to avoid hurting civilians?
I think Mr. Alkhatib's description of the environmental factors leading to the participation of civilians in the massacre makes a lot of sense. AND - he mentioned not being used to think of Israelis as human ... I hope he is right that with new conditions and possibilities, this will change ....
Not seeing Israelis as human is also what characterizes those who celebrated the massacre from outside Gaza .... And many observers have concluded that the majority of Gazans want to get rid of Hamas as a ruler - but fully approve of the Hamas ideology in which destruction/removal of Israel is a very important goal ...
I think that Ahmed's ability to see things clearly and his determination to say it all out loud is courageous and exceptional. Yes. All over the west, pro Hamas types were celebrating - even as the slaughter was ongoing. Bone chilling.
"As a postscript to our discussion, I would be remiss if I did not mention the tragedy that occurred yesterday. Nine children of a female pediatrician who was working in a hospital were killed in an Israeli airstrike." ... This is unfortunately an example of horrifying stories being amplified or maybe even made up, propaganda that makes everything so much worse.... See for example this analysis that goes through a handful of facts that make the story extremely unlikely. The Jewsletter. "Breaking News: The Same Gazans Have Been Killed Twice Debunking the fabricated story traveling around the world" Samantha Ettus May 27, 2025.
And now just seeing this. This incident is still under investigation. That is a long time. If the IDF had. evidence it would likely have been shared. A concern is that with the change in leadership at the top of IDF in recent weeks, as well as the chaotic environment in Gaza, that certain comms protocols. may not have been adhered to as diligently as possible. This is discussed in my podcast from a few days ago with Jonathan Conricus. But you are correct and I should not have presented it as I did. Thanks for pointing this out. The reality is that in that week we had even more info coming at us than usual. The paucity of information provided by IDF Spokesperson's Unit was problematic. And remains so. It is very concerning that we have no conclusive evidence/response on this particular incident - alleged incident.
Thanks, Vivian. In general, uncovering and presenting accurate information does take time! It may be worse right now because of the conditions you mention, but achieving accuracy does take time.
Traically, "our side" wants to be really, really sure - somehow hoping beyond hope that if we just get the info solid enough, the world will believe us. Ironically, this means that massive damage is done by misinformation before any kind of solid information gets promulgated. In the face of this trap, it can give huge relief to just jump on the first band-wagon and claim knowledge of responsibility for suffering. Whoops!
But it is still worth slogging along to get accurate information for the medium and long haul...
Some musings ....
Knowing immediately that the Hamas attack on 7 Oct 2023 would lead to the total destruction of Gaza ... wouldn't that mean knowing about the tunnels which would make it impossible to avoid hurting civilians?
I think Mr. Alkhatib's description of the environmental factors leading to the participation of civilians in the massacre makes a lot of sense. AND - he mentioned not being used to think of Israelis as human ... I hope he is right that with new conditions and possibilities, this will change ....
Not seeing Israelis as human is also what characterizes those who celebrated the massacre from outside Gaza .... And many observers have concluded that the majority of Gazans want to get rid of Hamas as a ruler - but fully approve of the Hamas ideology in which destruction/removal of Israel is a very important goal ...
I think that Ahmed's ability to see things clearly and his determination to say it all out loud is courageous and exceptional. Yes. All over the west, pro Hamas types were celebrating - even as the slaughter was ongoing. Bone chilling.
"As a postscript to our discussion, I would be remiss if I did not mention the tragedy that occurred yesterday. Nine children of a female pediatrician who was working in a hospital were killed in an Israeli airstrike." ... This is unfortunately an example of horrifying stories being amplified or maybe even made up, propaganda that makes everything so much worse.... See for example this analysis that goes through a handful of facts that make the story extremely unlikely. The Jewsletter. "Breaking News: The Same Gazans Have Been Killed Twice Debunking the fabricated story traveling around the world" Samantha Ettus May 27, 2025.
And now just seeing this. This incident is still under investigation. That is a long time. If the IDF had. evidence it would likely have been shared. A concern is that with the change in leadership at the top of IDF in recent weeks, as well as the chaotic environment in Gaza, that certain comms protocols. may not have been adhered to as diligently as possible. This is discussed in my podcast from a few days ago with Jonathan Conricus. But you are correct and I should not have presented it as I did. Thanks for pointing this out. The reality is that in that week we had even more info coming at us than usual. The paucity of information provided by IDF Spokesperson's Unit was problematic. And remains so. It is very concerning that we have no conclusive evidence/response on this particular incident - alleged incident.
Thanks, Vivian. In general, uncovering and presenting accurate information does take time! It may be worse right now because of the conditions you mention, but achieving accuracy does take time.
Traically, "our side" wants to be really, really sure - somehow hoping beyond hope that if we just get the info solid enough, the world will believe us. Ironically, this means that massive damage is done by misinformation before any kind of solid information gets promulgated. In the face of this trap, it can give huge relief to just jump on the first band-wagon and claim knowledge of responsibility for suffering. Whoops!
But it is still worth slogging along to get accurate information for the medium and long haul...