Hamas-Israeli War 2023

swerve

Super Moderator
Is there an intent to regenerate Gaza? I'm very curious to see what the ultimate plan here is.
If not, what's the intention? 2 million refugees? Build a wall around Gaza & leave 'em to starve? Without regeneration Gaza will remain a festering sore on Israel's hip.
 

Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
If not, what's the intention? 2 million refugees? Build a wall around Gaza & leave 'em to starve? Without regeneration Gaza will remain a festering sore on Israel's hip.
It was a festering sore before this war with the infrastructure intact. To be honest, my solution for Israel would be to grant them full independence, build a wall, dig a moat, and fill it with crocodiles. Don't blockade it either. If Iran or Egypt or the Saudis want to feed the population let them. Sultan Erdogan seems keen on them, maybe he can cover the cost. Let them join the UN and maybe the UN wants to feed them.
 

OPSSG

Super Moderator
Staff member
Israel’s lack of a plan for a post-war Gaza in 2024

If not, what's the intention? 2 million refugees? Build a wall around Gaza & leave 'em to starve?
1. Netanyahu oversaw the building of a high-tech border barrier (which turned out to be easily defeated by Hamas invaders) and the subsequent transfer of most troops on the Gaza front to the West Bank.

2. If it were up to Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Avi Dichter and gang, I am sure they are willing to let Gaza starve — if it would help the right-wing stay in power. As the war in Gaza progresses, my tolerance for the Israeli government’s irrational acts goes down. Without pressure from the Biden Admin to moderate the worse impulses of criminals (called ministers by Netanyahu), the humanitarian situation in Gaza would be much worse.

3. There’s an easy explanation for the incompetence. Current Israeli ministers were chosen solely for their political affiliation, not for their skill or knowledge in handling the affairs of their ministries.
(a) Some of these ministers even fired experienced civil servants in their ministries and replaced them with political hacks.​
(b) Netanyahu even told reporters in a briefing that research must be done regarding a possible connection between the Hamas massacre and the 6 months of mass protests against his government’s radical plans to gut the judiciary. He singled out air force pilots who had threatened to stop volunteering for training if his extreme measures were not halted.​
(c) Netanyahu needs the war in Gaza to go on so that he can avoid prosecution. He wants to convince the people of Israel that the war demands that no election be held (while the war is ongoing).​
(d) Things are so bad that volunteer organisations have sprung up to fill the gap of Israeli government incompetence by helping the survivors of the massacre, supporting the families of the hostages held by Hamas, and even feeding IDF soldiers in Israel.​

4. The Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu nodded in the direction of dropping an atomic bomb on Gaza. This is wrong for so many reasons, including that Israel has never publicly admitted to having nuclear weapons. And that’s only for starters.

Without regeneration Gaza will remain a festering sore on Israel's hip.
5. This is the weakest part of Israel’s plans for a post-war Gaza in 2024. Even if the Israeli government was compelled to help Gaza, they can’t. There are too many political hacks in-charge to execute any policy effectively.

6. Prof. Tommy Koh has written an op-ed in ST that also responds to Bilahari's recent op-ed. Prof Koh states that international law and IHL apply to both Hamas and Israel. While Israel has a right to defend itself, these acts of self defence must be proportionate to the aims set.
 
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Big_Zucchini

Well-Known Member
Israel’s lack of a plan for a post-war Gaza in 2024



2. If it were up to Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Avi Dichter and gang, I am sure they are willing to let Gaza starve — if it would help the right-wing stay in power. As the war in Gaza progresses, my tolerance for the Israeli government’s irrational acts goes down. Without pressure from the Biden Admin to moderate the worse impulses of criminals (called ministers by Netanyahu), the humanitarian situation in Gaza would be much worse.

3. There’s an easy explanation for the incompetence. Current Israeli ministers were chosen solely for their political affiliation, not for their skill or knowledge in handling the affairs of their ministries.

(a) Some of these ministers even fired experienced civil servants in their ministries and replaced them with political hacks.​

(b) Netanyahu even told reporters in a briefing that research must be done regarding a possible connection between the Hamas massacre and the 6 months of mass protests against his government’s radical plans to gut the judiciary. He singled out air force pilots who had threatened to stop volunteering for training if his extreme measures were not halted.​

(c) Netanyahu needs the war in Gaza to go on so that he can avoid prosecution. He wants to convince the people of Israel that the war demands that no election be held (while the war is ongoing).​

(d) Things are so bad that volunteer organisations have sprung up to fill the gap of Israeli government incompetence by helping the survivors of the massacre, supporting the families of the hostages held by Hamas, and even feeding IDF soldiers in Israel.​
Take comfort in the fact that using them as pawns also means they're as influential as pawns. They are a PR disaster but fortunately not much more than that.
On a deeper level, he wants everything to be run smoothly, but when he knows the only people willing to work with him are street thugs - he also knows his chances are best when he only lets them pretend they're holding the wheel. They hold up some war money, but otherwise they aren't disruptive to the operational side of things. That's why Netanyahu made the smart decision (I feel ill just saying that) of setting up a second cabinet that is the exclusive manager of all things related to the war - military and political.
Therefore those ministers are just saying empty things on media for local cookie points.

Any obstruction of core government functions is entirely Netanyahu's shenanigans.
 
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Big_Zucchini

Well-Known Member
Hillel Neuer from UN Watch says the UN was in the know about Hamas's actions, policies, terror infrastructure, tactics, etc, given the size and nature of its presence in Gaza, and that it is complicit by lying about Hamas. This is an assertion I believe, at least when it comes to UNRWA there is plentiful evidence including their own admissions.

If you are unaware of his work and uncertain about his credibility, here's a quote from their "about" page.
UN Watch is a non-profit organization dedicated to holding the United Nations accountable to its founding principles. Through its regular monitoring, UN Watch is a key resource for information and analysis about the UN.

UN Watch is a leading voice combating antisemitism and anti-Israel bias at the UN engaging in advocacy at the highest levels of government and countering misinformation in the media.

UN Watch protects human rights worldwide bringing dissidents to deliver testimonies at the UN and parallel events.
IDF troops from the 890th battalion of the paratroopers' brigade reportedly rescued an elderly Palestinian woman from a building they cleared from Hamas. She told them her autistic daughter was behind in the line of fire. This is a trick I've personally heard of numerous times before. You grab a few autistic people that you know won't comprehend the situation and hunker down, and use them to block the IDF from firing on you, or alternatively send them toward a suspected IDF position to draw them out and hit them. There is no indication on whether or not Hamas has used her that way in this particular incident.

They reportedly brought a larger force and successfully conducted a rescue op.

This sort of reality is something that significantly slows down the IDF's operational tempo, and is something I believe we'll see on steroids in some parts of southern Gaza, unless the IDF finds creative ways of handling population masses.

EDIT: I realize now that the word "rescue" might imply Israeli hostages were rescued - they were not. Those are two Palestinian women.
 
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ngatimozart

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
This is a non Jewish German govt Minister on how the HAMAS attack has impacted the German Jewish population. The cites the spread of anti-semeticism that is raising its ugly head higher because of the HAMAS attack. Israel isn't a holier than thou nation and it has committed war crimes, however that gives no excuse for the hate against Jews that is now prevalent in the west.

 

ngatimozart

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
This from Nicolas Drummond:

"It is clear from various reports on the ground that Israeli forces are systematically and comprehensively eliminating Hamas terror cells. Hamas knows it is the end for them, so is using the local population as human shields, hoping that the collateral damage inflicted as a result will create external pressure for a cease fire. This would allow Hamas operatives to escape and fight another day."
"Meanwhile, Iran is clearly trying to influence the narrative via information warfare. There has been a lesser outcry about Russian action against Ukraine citizens, many more of whom have suffered and been displaced or callously targeted, than in Gaza. I would suggest that Iranian money is flowing into western countries to fund protests. It is increasingly said that the battle on the ground can only be won by winning the media battle for popular support. We will soon see."
Nicolas Drummond is correct that military necessity dictates IDF actions against HAMAS in the Palestinian territories. HAMAS has been designated as a terrorist organisation and as such it should be eliminated. However, that still leaves the problem of the Gaza Strip residents who are being displaced in great numbers and what to do with them. This displacement will create further problems, and something has to be done to ensure the Gazan refugees safety and future security. Such a settlement can only be political and the current Israeli govt will not have a bar of it. They haven't shown any willingness to constructively deal with the Palestinian crisis for decades now. In order for such a settlement to be achieved there has to be a drastic change in the Israeli, Palestinian, and Arab cultural attitudes, with Iran the US, EU, UK, Russia and China being far removed from the situation.

We are aware that Iran is deeply involved with HAMAS, but Russia and China are the other two players in this.
Capitalising on crisis: Russia, China and Iran use X to exploit Israel-Hamas information chaos - ISD (isdglobal.org)

So the questions have to be asked:
  • Since Israeli intelligence failed to detect the lead up to the HAMAS attack where is the failure?
    • Was it HAMAS being able to have complete OPSEC until the opening of the attack?
    • Was it Iran providing significant OPSEC?
    • Were Russia and China involved from the outset of initial planning? Both nations have significant intelligence and mis / dis information capabilities.
Questions but no answers yet.
 

Big_Zucchini

Well-Known Member

Big_Zucchini

Well-Known Member
Food and water delivered to Shifa staff. I thought they mostly evacuated. Means we still have a long way to go with Shifa.

In the meantime, with what is at least 3 full divisions and elements from numerous other divisions still in roughly the same area, the troops need fresh missions to avoid wasting time. The political leadership is widely believed to be stalling operational progress.
 
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OPSSG

Super Moderator
Staff member
Post 3 of 3: The end game of the urban warfare in Gaza by use of firepower

8. A crucial goal of terror organizations is getting the stronger adversary to overreact, so as to ensure loss of legitimacy.
(a) Like Akido, terrorist organizations are using their enemy’s punch against them — this happened after 9-11 with America, where they invaded Afghanistan and also resorted to using torture on captured detainees that were brought to the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp or better known as Gitmo. Rather than work from existing models, Bush, Cheney, and Addington sought to radically reshape the structure, method, and purposes of trials undertaken in the name of this nebulous global war. Norms designed to protect the dignitary rights of the accused and processes designed to instill confidence in the fairness of verdicts could all be jettisoned as “not practicable” at Gitmo.​
(b) History has more than vindicated Nuremberg; how it will treat the Guantánamo military commissions is another matter. Bush’s experiment with military commissions produced a record of unseemly missteps that frustrated the cause of justice and damaged America’s standing abroad. Basic questions of procedure led to rancorous debates among commission members. Prosecutors labored aimlessly without adequate leadership, institutional support, or legal tools, stymied by the CIA’s steadfast refusal to share evidence.​
(c) With its 2006 decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, the US Supreme Court brought down the entire shoddy edifice, declaring Bush’s military commissions in violation of both the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Geneva Conventions (and leading Donald Rumsfeld to quip, “So I’m going to go down in history as the only Secretary of Defense to have lost a case against a terrorist?”).​
(d) Gitmo allows hearsay, violate rights of confrontation, theoretically permit certain coerced statements to be used as evidence — the most troublesome aspect of the government’s case against detainees oddly tends to get overlooked. Like many other detainees, Abd al-Rahim Hussein Muhammed Abdu al-Nashiri was subjected to “enhanced interrogation” — stress positions, sleep deprivation, forced nudity, and other forms of degradation. But as one of the highest-ranking Al Qaeda figures in custody, detainees like Nashiri also came in for special treatment. Gitmo became the symbol for the loss of the American government’s moral right to lead the free world.​
(e) If Hamas retains the capability to fire hundreds of rockets on Israel, per day, the IDF is justified in hunting Hamas in Gaza. Currently, the number of rockets fired by Hamas on Israel per week of the war.​
  • Week 1: 3,523
  • Week 2: 818
  • Week 3: 795
  • Week 4: 579
  • Week 5: 386
  • Week 6: 234
9. My sympathy for Israel is not unlimited, especially if (i) thousands of innocent Gazan civilians keep dying beyond end-Feb 2024; and (ii) Israel fails to address real concerns about IHL, with regards to the delivery of aid to civilians in Gaza. Unjust as it seems to many in Israel, the IDF needs to wrap up the fighting in Gaza, at some point. For me, this must occur before widespread out break of diseases like cholera, from lack of sanitation.

(a) I appeal to Gazans to provide information to the IDF to enable the rescues of some hostages in phase 5 and 6 of Operation Swords of Iron — if those who oppose Hamas give the Israeli public no hope, the IDF will not stop bombing in their conduct of urban and tunnel warfare, to the dismay of the Biden administration. At some point in late Nov 2024, there needs to be a multi-day pause in bombing for aid to enter the hardest hit parts of Gaza (and I don’t mean Gaza city).​
(b) Hamas is reaping the benefit of the civilian collateral damage to gain sympathy to their core Islamist audience that is global — their goal is to drag out the war. If the IDF is to retain its honour, this war in Gaza must end by Feb 2024, and there is an unspoken clock running.​
(c) I join the call of the Israeli opposition (led by Yair Lapid), for the immediate ouster of Prime Minister Netanyahu. He proposes to join a "reconstruction govt" led by Likud, the largest party, under a new party leader. I see Netanyahu as the largest obstacle to a durable ceasefire in early or mid-2024. And the only country that can slightly modify Israel’s war plans is the US.​
(d) If the Israeli public want continued support in 2024 for a durable peace, they must act to assure the world that the IDF is seen as part of the solution by the US DoD and not part of the problem. And the IDF cannot remain a moral army, if it is led by an immoral man like Netanyahu and the crazy members of his right-wing coalition.​

10. For us to understand the strategy of Hamas, as a cult of death, there are 2 of the 3 myths identified by Nicholas Kristof (writing in the NYT on 15 Nov 2023), that we need to address, on the conditions needed for a durable ceasefire:
One, that Palestinians can be put off indefinitely, strung along by Israel, the US and the Arab countries. This is still Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cynical strategy, & the Israeli right-wing’s way of avoiding a Palestinian state. It worked for a time. But with the progress made by the Abraham Accords, this pressure cooker bomb has exploded. Israel needs a pragmatic acknowledgment of it’s own interests to give hope by moving towards a 2 stage solution, acceptable to mainstream Israeli society (and ignore the forever war, right wing factions of the Israeli government).​
Two, while Hamas only understands violence — Hamas and Palestinians are not the same, just as violent and criminal settlers in the West Bank do not represent all Israelis. Each side has dehumanized the other, but people are complex and neither side is monolithic — Israelis are not the same as Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Palestinians are not the same as Hamas.​
 
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Feanor

Super Moderator
Staff member
Basic principle:
Advice given by a friend will be considered seriously. Advice given by someone hostile will not.

This thread is a perfect example for why the average Israeli has such disdain for international institutions, and why the government does not trust them.

It's also a basic logical fallacy. Advice is good or bad based on the merit of the advice itself. It doesn't matter who gives the advice or why. The only time you should refer to the source of the advice is if you're not capable of analyzing the advice on its own merit. In that case considering the source serves as a fairly crude replacement for a true understanding.
 

Ananda

The Bunker Group
Basic principle:
Advice given by a friend will be considered seriously. Advice given by someone hostile will not.
Basic Principal for Israel shown Internationaly so far: Everyone that against Israel is Anti Semite, Everyone that pro Palestinian is Pro Hamas thus Pro terorist.

But it is ok, it is shown true understanding why this conflict will never go away. Anyway Israel can survive as long as US politicians unquestionably behind Israel. However with changing demographics in US, changing political leaning in younger US demographics, will Israel can relied on that forever?
 

koxinga

Well-Known Member
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #335
Basic principle:
Advice given by a friend will be considered seriously. Advice given by someone hostile will not.
With some exceptions, countries seldom fit nicely to the notion of friends and hostiles as defined by Israel. In any case, by limiting it to just this two categories, I would wonder the quality of such advice, since they come from a circle of "likeminded" friends.

Even a so-called "friend" like Singapore proffering advice, I doubt it is taken seriously as an input to decisions. The only country that Israel does take seriously (above the domestic politics) is the US.
 

Big_Zucchini

Well-Known Member
1. Hamas reportedly announced it "lost contact" with hostage holding groups. In other words, Hamas has likely executed another batch of hostages. Early in the ground maneuver the IDF managed to rescue 1 hostage, Ori Megidish, but has since only found bodies of executed hostages.

2. This may be a propaganda effort to blame Israel for the deaths of hostages. It is widely assumed in Israeli MSM that despite rescue efforts, it may be too late for most hostages already.

3. Combat team of paratroopers, armor, combat engineers, and aviation, in Sheikh Ajlin and Rimal neighbourhoods. All 3 tanks seem to fire at the same time, indicating a form of fire coordination. It is interesting to see this in such environment, where I would assume such exposed forces would be "firing at will". 35 new tunnel shafts reportedly located by this combat team. This post is a thread and includes further information:
  • The combat team raided a facility of a tech unit of Hamas's intelligence services and captured combat equipment as well as some rocket launchers.
  • Rimal is a high class neighborhood and is home to Hamas's high ranking members, and contained numerous military and government facilities.
4. Israeli navy activity vs Hamas. Significant Hamas infrastructure exists on the coastline, and the IDF's coastline push into northern Gaza was also significantly aided by the navy with its unique line of sight of the entire coast. The Israeli navy operates small craft armed with Typhoon turrets with 25mm cannons, as well as larger corvettes and OPVs armed with rapid firing 76mm guns that are proving particularly useful. At its disposal are also Spike launchers, but I'm not aware of their use by the navy. Spikes are operated by all combat branches and were generally observed being used in Gaza.

5. IDF Spokesperson claims IDF facilitates Shifa staff requests for evacuations from the hospital via known evacuation routes and aids them in these efforts. He reiterates the IDF did/does not request or order evacuation and lets hospital management decide on the topic. It is possible the IDF may designate Shifa to remain a humanitarian hub in northern Gaza, in parallel to its (the hospital's) demilitarization.

6. Journalists in Gaza continue perfidious practices that ultimately endanger other journalists in Gaza and elsewhere:

7. NYT says it reviewed a video, I believe yet unreleased, of a tunnel under Shifa which is reportedly 50ft in length and leads to a fortified door with a porthole for one way shooting.
IDF policy is to not enter tunnels by default, and any entry would be a special operation in itself.

 
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Big_Zucchini

Well-Known Member
Biden wrote an Op-Ed for WaPo
Original article:

Free summary:

Relevant quote:
As we strive for peace, Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalized Palestinian Authority, as we all work toward a two-state solution.
Additional opinion piece on the Palestinian Authority's role in these atrocities:

Relevant quotes (each paragraph is a separate quote):
Though there is no excusing Hamas and no vindicating Netanyahu, another player is missing from the conversation: the corrupt, inert Palestinian Authority (PA), which has done very little to advance the interests of a two-state solution or even improved conditions for Palestinians. It has never enjoyed robust support from ordinary Palestinians (in large part because of its abusive conduct and endemic corruption).

At some point, the war with Hamas will end, but Palestinian suffering will endure — both in Gaza and on the West Bank. President Biden correctly pointed out in his Oval Office address last week that “Israel and Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety, dignity, and peace.” However, that will remain impossible as long as Palestinians lack a credible, responsible and corruption-free representative that puts their interests first. (“According to reputable polling, around 80 percent of Palestinians consider the PA corrupt, and 60 percent see it as a liability rather than an asset,” writes the Washington Institute’s Ghaith al-Omari, who is a former adviser to the PA. “None of its main institutions enjoys popular legitimacy, in part because presidential and legislative elections have not been held since 2005 and 2006, respectively.”)

What, if anything, can be done after the war to reform the PA and therefore provide Palestinians with a serious negotiating representative? Al-Omari recommended: “To salvage the PA as a functioning partner, Washington needs to reprioritize governance and reform issues, as well as pressure Ramallah to open political space in the West Bank and clarify the process of succession.” He added, “Although the latter issue is very sensitive and will likely generate pushback, failure to press Abbas on allowing viable succession candidates to emerge will perpetuate the paralysis.” Both the European Union and the United States must condition aid on measurable improvements in PA governance.

In the aftermath of the war, both sides might be in a position to make extensive changes. Certainly, a peace deal is now far from the minds of Israelis and Palestinians. If nothing else, the traumatic events of Oct. 7 and the ensuing war likely will shake up the Israeli-Palestinian relationship and Israel’s relations with its neighbors. (The prospect of an Israeli-Saudi peace deal might have been an actor in Hamas’s calculation to attack.) If Netanyahu and his government fall (as some Israelis expect), the Israeli outlook toward a peace deal could undergo a dramatic shift. The Palestinian Authority will need to make its own changes — or again miss the opportunity for lasting improvement in Palestinians’ lives.
Now my 2 shekels:
Biden's idea of a PA ruling over Gaza does not exist in a vacuum. Some in Israel's defense establishment believe that to be the right way forward. I, myself, for a while, have supported such an arrangement as well. In years prior, I believed the IDF would be right to use the 2014 ground incursion to dismantle Hamas, even if partially, and install a PA rule. However, I have since grown to understand that in itself it's only the skeleton of a solution, and could even be massively counter-productive.

  • PA in Gaza =/= PA in J&S. Among other things, it's a question of people. Are these PA men migrating from J&S? Are these locals? What would ensure that the PA in Gaza will not be a second Hamas in PA skin?
  • If these turn out to be more violent and less aligned with the PA in J&S, it will be very difficult to convince the world that they are a problem to be dealt with. Hamas has already been designated as a terrorist organization in the west for a while, but the PA is considered a legitimate government whose terror activity is relatively minor and widely considered acceptable in the west.
  • No society is inherently ready for democracy without preparation, and Palestinians are no exception. Both the PA and Hamas are oppressive regimes that do not shy away from public displays of force to deter their population. Hamas's oppression is simply on a higher magnitude. It is, however, something the west deems necessary to secure a PA rule and prevent a hostile takeover. The IDF for example greatly assists the PA in both intelligence and in active prevention of Hamas operations in J&S against the PA, and it is widely assumed that without IDF intervention, the PA would have likely already fallen to Hamas. It therefore begs the question:
    Will the PA in Gaza have to be more oppressive in light of the reality of a more radicalized population? Will said higher oppression lead to more friction in the J&S region and affect the PA's stability there?
  • Even if a PA rule there proves to be successful, will such a Palestinian nation be able to advance efforts toward a lasting peace with Israel? Or will it again be a corrupt and inept entity that seeks only to enrich itself and stay in power, instead of the wellbeing of its people?
  • Will Israel and the US pressure the PA into massive reforms necessary for a meaningful change?


Jordan reportedly moving forces toward Israel. I believe this to be an effort to prevent the smuggling of arms and personnel to various terrorist organizations in J&S, including the "enlistment" of Jordanians toward the war effort. Jordan is important to this equation as it is effectively a Palestinian state. Although Jordan officially only counts refugees as Palestinians, and Palestinian citizens as Arabs, it is widely believed to be majority Palestinian. It is therefore important for Jordan to let its citizens to "vent", while maintaining its alliance with Israel and the US.


Germany to vote on draft law that would include recognition of Israel as a condition for citizenship via naturalization.
I have no opinion on whether this will or should pass, however there is a glaring inability to filter immigrants coming into Europe. In 2023 and in the forseeable future, Ideologically incompatible cultures cannot coexist under the same roof. It breeds conflict. The EU took in millions of refugees from the middle east believing it to be the moral decision. However it seems it did not ask itself some hard questions about whether it will lead to internal conflicts and how to handle it should it occur.
One symptom of western indifference to the question of radicalism among refugees is its vulnerability to the simple strategy of "newspeak". Seeking Israel's annihilation is a common disguise for antisemitism (as if seeking any nation's destruction should be considered normal but okay), but there are plenty more such cases.
The war in Gaza has given the west a golden opportunity to single out and root out hostile elements among the refugees it accepted. The question is whether they will seize it.
A robust mechanism to solve this issue will undoubtedly also aid in the more difficult task of rooting out local "indigenous" radicalism, something that apparently becomes more necessary by the day as governments fail to answer the threat of organized disinformation.

I believe some western governments will take certain steps, but overall I doubt a meaningful solution will be implemented. Radicalism is likely to persist and grow in the west in the absence of pushback.
 

Big_Zucchini

Well-Known Member
Hamas releases new footage showing what appears to be suicide bombers going inside Rantisi hospital. In the video we can see the terrorist filming also fires an RPG at the entrance. Previously, the IDF has shown similar suicide vests located inside other hospitals.

Another video allegedly showing Hamas firing on civilians walking along the humanitarian corridor.

New body cam footage from October 7th.
 
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John Fedup

The Bunker Group
There is a glaring inability to filter immigrants coming into Europe. In 2023 and in the forseeable future, Ideologically incompatible cultures cannot coexist under the same roof. It breeds conflict. The EU took in millions of refugees from the middle east believing it to be the moral decision. However it seems it did not ask itself some hard questions about whether it will lead to internal conflicts and how to handle it should it occur.
One symptom of western indifference to the question of radicalism among refugees is its vulnerability to the simple strategy of "newspeak". Seeking Israel's annihilation is a common disguise for antisemitism (as if seeking any nation's destruction should be considered normal but okay), but there are plenty more such cases.
The war in Gaza has given the west a golden opportunity to single out and root out hostile elements among the refugees it accepted. The question is whether they will seize it.
A robust mechanism to solve this issue will undoubtedly also aid in the more difficult task of rooting out local "indigenous" radicalism, something that apparently becomes more necessary by the day as governments fail to answer the threat of organized disinformation.

I believe some western governments will take certain steps, but overall I doubt a meaningful solution will be implemented. Radicalism is likely to persist and grow in the west in the absence of pushback.
Totally agree about Western governments lack of screening on refuges which is no surprise given the PC kumbaya pollies in charge. This also applies to normal immigration as well in some countries. As for a meaningful solution, doubtful for many countries and pretty much zero in Canada.
 

Big_Zucchini

Well-Known Member
7. NYT says it reviewed a video, I believe yet unreleased, of a tunnel under Shifa which is reportedly 50ft in length and leads to a fortified door with a porthole for one way shooting.
IDF policy is to not enter tunnels by default, and any entry would be a special operation in itself.

Footage from the tunnel plus a short analysis by an OSINT account I trust:

Hamas apparently admit they brought in abductees to hospitals after footage proving it surfaced:

Footage of Hamas bringing abductees into Shifa:
 
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