#if hostages were found at all the operation was a not a war crime

[that-rad-jewish-girl]

“They came in on humanitarian aid trucks!”

“This is a war crime!!!”

“They massacred 200+ people!”

It’s actually a war crime to take hostages babe. It’s also a war crime to kill people you take and/or attack civilians. All of October 7th was a war crime. You cannot enter another country and slaughter random civilians dancing at a rave. You cannot go door-to-door in a village and burn people alive. That’s a war crime.

On the other hand, it is not a war crime to attack an entity involved in war, even if it would normally be a crime to do so. For example: attacking a refugee camp is not a war crime when the “refugees” are hiding hostages. If a hospital is being used as a base for terrorists, the hospital is now legally fair game for war. When we have satellite videos of Hamas members driving UN vehicles and operating out of an UNRWA building, those vehicles and that building are up for grabs.

They will literally video themselves wearing press vests while firing rockets into Israel. But if they die, they won’t be reported as a combatant death. The headlines will read “Israel Kills Member of Gazan Press”. And people eat it up.

At this point people have two options:

1. You’re a sheep. You do no real research. You follow blindly.

2. You’re a Jew hater. You are antisemitic.

Which one is it? Maybe a combo of both.

[xclowniex]

Its crazy how so quickly, people from the pro palestine crowd are moving to silence the joy of the hostages being brought home.

I have gotten about 10 asks going "what about the dead civilians you probably don't care that they are dead"

And the thing is, it is bad and a tradegy that more palestinians civlians are dead. It also is not a bad thing for people to be happy that the hostages are brought home.

Since people are seeming to want a more nuanced take, here it is.

The hostages were found in civilian homes. That doesn't tell us much as whilst they are civilian homes, we have no clue who was occupying those homes with the hostages. There are 3 options

Hamasniks

Civilians who conspire with Hamas

Civilians who were forced by Hamas to keep the hostages

In all 3 cases, Hamas has committed a war crime by turning a civilian area into a military base/base adjacent by having the hostages kept there. Like it is literally against international law. The UN has even said before that Hamas does this and it is a war crime.

In the eyes of international law, Hamas is at fault for every civilian death due to the hostages being brought home. Why? Because it is expected as a fact of war, that it is pretty much impossible to carry out a military operation around civilians and not have any civilian casulties.

It also begs the question, whose life is more valuable, palestinian lives or jewish lives? and the answer is none. They are both equally as valuable. Which brings in more nuance of the fact that a country is responsible to do everything it can within reason, to protect its civilians, which is what Israel is doing with its military operations. It is very sad that Hamas is not doing the same as if they did, there would be less civilian deaths.

This is not me saying "the deaths were needed or good" as that is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that it is a complicated topic as for there to be no civilian deaths at the hands of the IDF, the hostages have to remain in captivity and likely end up being killed. If the IDF did nothing, the hostages would be dead due to inaction and if they did do something (which they did) palestinian civilians are now dead.

Essentially it is a horrible situation to be in for all parties involved and due to the nuance in it, I do have mixed feelings. Ideally I wish the hostages were brought home without any deaths. I wish no palestinians have died due to the war, however frankly that is not realistic and is actually something I struggle with which is why I have only limited my posts about the joy of the hostages being brought home as out of all of this, what I am happy about, is that the hostages are now home safe.

What i will say last is, it is truly terrible the situation we are in with having to sacrifce one groups lives over another and it is also truly terrible that palestinian civilians have been killed.

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

Another day, another independent Palestinian terrorist attack in Israel. This time, a 64 years old man was stabbed in Jerusalem, in the northern neighborhood of Neve Yaakov. The terrorist is a 14 years old Palestinian from East Jerusalem. I honestly wish we could arrest the people radicalizing these teenagers, using them like their lives and their futures mean nothing. Technically speaking, actively recruiting a teenager to a terrorist organization IS a war crime, but as we know from the way ISIS recruits people, it's not always done in a manner straightforward enough, for someone to be arrested. In this case, there is an estimate that someone has helped this teenager, and searches for this person are currently underway.

We're five months into the war, and the IDF has arrested 250 terrorists in Khan Yunis, among them are terrorists who had participated in the Oct 7 massacre. We're talking about thousands of people who were a part of those war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated on that day, and I hope Israel manages to bring them all to trial, if they choose to surrender.

Israel's National Security Council has issued an official travel warning for Israelis who happen to be abroad during the month of Ramadan this year, when there is an increase in Islamist calls for violence. I know this is for Israelis, but I personally think this is a good warning for all Jews, given that most Islamist organizations target us all, and make no distinction between Israeli and non-Israeli Jews. So please, wherever you are, whatever your political views, if you're Jewish, be extra cautious this upcoming Ramadan (starts Mar 10), and please pass it on to others as well.

In ocntinuation of what I wrote yesterday, that Israeli officials believe Hamas isn't interested in a hostage deal that would include a truce, and that American ones seem to think the same, now we have sources that say that yep, that's exactly US officials' impression.

Israeli minister (and Prime Minister hopeful) Benny Gantz is in the US, and has apparently tried to explain to American officials that de-militarizing Gaza of Hamas' terrorist forces, without touching the organization's last stronghold, Rafah, is like putting out 80% of a fire, and that in such a scenario, Hamas would be able to use a truce to re-arm, keep fighting, and will overall prolong the war.

Loay Al-Shareef, a Saudi man who speaks up for peace with Israel, has to be one of the bravest people I've heard about. Here is a short vid from an interview with him, talking about how he came to know Jews, and stopped hating them:

And here's a short intro for the full interview he did (I haven't had a chance to see the whole thing yet, but I want to, so this link is for me as well), which I found very interesting:

This is 71 years old Batia Holin.

She's an amateur photographer from kibbutz Kfar Azza, who has also believed deeply in coexistence, and even managed to put together a joint photography exhibition with a Gaza photographer. Here's a part of the Facebook post she used to find a Gazan partner for this:

Out of 5 photographers who contacted her, 4 ended up backing out, which is how she ended up with the one partner she did have for the exhibit. On Oct 7, as she and her husband (Nachum) ran into the bomb shelter, she saw strange men with headbands in their courtyard, realizing these must be terrorists. Batia and Nachum were scared for their family, which also lives in southern Israel, and went for 18 hours in the bomb shelter without food and water. When the soldiers arrived, she refused to be evacuated before she would know that her daughter and two grandchildren are, too. During that day, the Gazan photographer who became not just a partner, but also a close friend, called her. Claiming that Gaza was being bombed (this was a lie, the IDF was not yet operating in Gaza, it was still fighting terrorists in southern Israel), he asked her for info on the number and position of Israeli army forces. She realized he needs this info for Hamas, and hung up. Rotem, Batia's daughter, was shot and wounded, but they were all eventually rescued.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[eretzyisrael]

Seth J. Frantzman

  · 

It increasingly feels like Hamas was created as a proxy against Israel, at least in part with active support of some in the international community. The extent of the Hamas tunnels and terrorist infrastructure in Gaza is so massive that there's no way this could have happened without active support of very powerful agendas globally.

For instance, Hamas sought to use almost every hospital in Gaza as a kind of strategic fortress, to operate near and around. If other militaries have bastions and redoubts and bases, for Hamas each hospital was a bastion.

Hamas also sought to exploit almost every school and international facility, for its terrorist uses, often tunneling under them or storing weapons in them. This happened not in war time, but rather over the last ten years when Israel wasn't operating in Gaza. What that means is that most of the terror infrastructure built in Gaza was built as internationals looked on. We hear their stories of "we didn't see it" or "we didn't know what was underneath our facility."

But none of this can be believed. The huge mountain of weapons found everywhere, the huge number of tunnels underneath every civilian area, under schools and universities, hospitals and UNRWA facilities, is so large and systematic that one can only conclude this organization was a proxy.

It's obvious to me that when peace was on the agenda that many groups in the world who wanted to find an organization to wage genocidal war against israel, sought to turn Gaza into a Hamas enclave to use it as a stepping stone for genocide. Their goal was to put this group on steroids and advise it how to turn Gaza into the most armed site in the world per capita. What that means is that it wasn't just "Sinwar" who was released in 2011 who did this...this was done with active support and collaboration of countries...of international organizations that advised Hamas on the laws of war and likely told them to put all their terror sites under schools, hospitals and int'l facilities...because this was how they could then charge Israel with "war crimes" for targeting these facilities.

For a lot of these organizations the war in 1948 never ended, they were displeased with the defeat in 1948 and their attempt to destroy Israel that year and they set about trying to use others to destroy Israel, first working with Egypt and Syria and then with Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah.

The amount of money and power that went into the Hamas infrastructure is the kind of thing that is used to build countries and cities, not terror groups. That means that Al Shabab or Boko Haram never had these kinds of resources. Hamas resources to build such extensive tunnels cost more than the budget of countries...which means countries are likely involved.

It's also why we see this huge lobby now to prevent Israel's operation in Rafah which is the last Hamas stronghold. It's also why more IDPs in Gaza were funneled toward Rafah by the groups that have worked with Hamas for years...this is their last massive human shield, 1.4 million people crowded into one area to protect the Hamas leadership and its 136 hostages.

I'm not saying the whole world is somehow invested in keeping Hamas in Gaza, but a portion of the world is invested in this agenda. Hamas is their proxy. The proxy to fight Israel. Part of the reason Israel is not at peace is because of this.

The addiction to Hamas is also clear from the fact that the organization itself and its leaders like Sinwar-Haniyeh etc are not that interesting unto themselves. It's clear that a lot more expertise and thought went into the Hamas empire of terror than just Sinwar and Haniyeh.

[cas-backwards-tie]

Chapter Three: Reroute Necessary

COD Men x Reader

Trials & Triumphs | Previous Chapter

Summary: Upon your debrief and explanation to Laswell, a shift in strategy is needed. How your fellow comrades will take that news is unbeknownst to you. Luckily for Laswell, however... you may have an idea or two up your sleeve. Now, it all comes down to a vote.

Words: 2.6k

Warnings: Disappointment, Anger, Humiliation, Embarrassment, Resentment, Passive-Aggressiveness,

Mentions of: Injury, Death, War Crimes, Government, Politics,

A/N: As I continue to delve further into the fandom I've been getting into most recently Johnny, John, and ofc Vlad so now I'm so lost! Ah... oof. Trying not to switch my original idea or add too many things to this. Anyway, this def is not gonna be all actiony every chapter. It'll change route after this for sure! So stay tuned.

"Explain it. Again," Laswell commands. Attempting to withhold the anger in her blue eyes, her fingers grip the edge of her desk a little tighter as she leans over it.

Pursing your lips together, you take a deep inhale through your nose. It's embarrassing enough you'd had to do this once, now you're just being humiliated. Though you've done your best to ignore his presence, you sneak a glance at the man sitting in the chair on your left. While you might not know Captain John Price well, you can see the empathy in his eyes from the momentary eye contact the two of you shared. A sigh tumbles past your lips as you raise your head again, confronting your superior. Starting over, once again, from the top, you explain.

"To start, we set up things together, formulating a plan..."

Things went according to that plan for the most part. The Captain can't deny that. He listens as you explain to Kate for the second time what'd transpired the other night and how, exactly, you'd let Boris Wagner get away. In truth, it wasn't exactly you who'd let him get away. Yet, it also was... wasn't it? If he's being honest with himself, if you'd had a better handle on your team this wouldn't have happened. You would've cleared the building, secured the area, gathered your spread out team and reconvened with his, coming together to flank what was clearly a trap set up by Wagner. But you didn't. Even once you found out it was a trap, he'd heard that you let that Austrian--König, if he remembers correctly--run off on his own after the Tango and try to finish the mission alone. Sure, there's no man left behind. But if you'd followed after König and radioed someone to go back in after Keegan, both things could've transpired and the mission would've been successful. But you didn't. If he'd been in charge he doesn't think this meeting would be going on. Nevertheless, can't go back and change things, can you?

After Gaz had jumped onto the tank and taken out the Tango in the AFV, he'd been able to send the necessary reinforcements in König's aide, yet it was too late. Wagner got away, and the Austrian was injured. The mission failed, and more people were hurt than needed. Whether or not useful information's come of your leading is yet to be determined. Shifting in his seat, John wiggles his jaw a bit in an attempt to bide the annoyance bubbling beneath the surface. He keeps having to remind himself how young you are. Why Kate picked you to lead the entire operation is beyond him. A team, sure, but the entire operation? She's kidding herself, right? They actually want the Party taken down. So does NATO and practically every other nation on the globe.

He'd already relayed his side. From the moment they'd dropped off, things were fine. Everything went according to plan. Once the enemy arrived, Wagner went inside, his team secured the perimeter, Ghost kept a lookout. Things were clear. It wasn't until they were bombarded by a hangar of soldiers that things went awry. Then to make matters worse, they find over a dozen hostages hidden in a compartment within the building. People were hurt, some people died, but most managed to get away unscathed. While they weren't prepared for a close up firefight, they managed to hold off until what he supposes was when your team got to the basement since things quieted down. Bravo team managed to escort the hostages away from the chaos and down toward the exfil location near where the deployment was, South side.

With Graves already there, it wasn't unreasonable that since he was free he could help out, Horangi still keeping watch. With things clear on both sides, it was only when Ghost notified them of the rogue soldier in the AFV that things began going south again. Another firefight started up. He was busy with Graves and Wilson on hostage duty while Soap, Gaz, and McKay went for the AFV and guards that'd come along with the fleeing Target. König emerged from nowhere, chasing down said Target, but it was only once Ghost informed him that he couldn't get a shot on said Target because the Austrian was too close that it was impossible to get a clear shot, that things were doomed. He should've known at that point to take over. You were nowhere to be seen or heard from and for all he knew you could've been dead.

It's not wise to go dark, and considering this was your first mission altogether as a squad it wasn't bright. Thinking back on it, John knows there are certain things he probably could've done to have adapted, recuperated, and saved the mission. He didn't. That's on him, that's his fault, and he hasn't forgiven himself for it, yet it doesn't change the fact that Laswell hasn't decided what's next.

"What do you think John?" Kate asks. Now upright, she crosses her arms over her chest as both women in the room turn to look at him with curious glances.

He hums in thought. "I... missed that. What was the question?" He speaks candidly.

"I said that 'I don't know', but what do you think about her little plan? it'd be a waiting game for sure. Might take months. You'd have to stake out the city, set up traps, lure them in, get to know these creeps, and might even have to participate in whatever they entail, but... if you think it'll work? Infiltrating the Party?" Laswell cocks a brow in his direction, curious for his thoughts and opinion on the matter.

Lips curling inward, he rubs them together in thought. That's not at all what he'd thought he'd missed! Mentally scolding himself for zoning out, as he's not the type, his gaze shifts between the two of you. He's taken too long to answer, now he looks suspicious. "I think the team needs to decide."

"Fine. We'll put it to a vote. Anonymously, of course."

____________

"We're at a crossroads, I'm afraid. So we've extended the option out to you all, putting the mission's stake up to a vote. You've all got pens and paper, and in a moment you'll either write down a 'yes' or a 'no', before I come around and you put it in the tin. Majority wins, though understandably considering circumstances if anyone insists on backing out, they'll be dismissed."

Her fingers absentmindedly tapping against the emptied cylindrical tin, Kate announces what's about to happen. Scanning around the room, you try not to read into everyone's fairly unsurprised expressions upon the news. Did they know this was coming? Did Price warn his team? Were they planning on backing out? Did... did you really fail that badly?

As questions begin to emerge and cloud your mind, you notice Kate about to step forward when a gruff voice captures everyone's attention, halting everyone's movement. "I thought NATO assigned us to this mission?" Ghost's question lingers in the air for a moment as you shift your gaze to the CIA's Liason, Laswell, in this instance. Arms crossed over your chest, you don't comment as your eyes slowly fall to the floor.

"Yes, though it's been brought to my attention that perhaps some people are more or less enthused to continue working on the mission with as it stands-" At this mention, people start looking around the room at one another. You'd overheard some whispers of people saying you'd messed up in leading the last mission, and while you don't necessarily disagree, you know you can't change what happened. Nevertheless, you're more than determined to not let them down again.

"-And, with the last mission having failed, time constraints are pushed even further, the possibility of being on deployment now extended, and the risks are only higher. While NATO is determined on getting the situation handled one way or another, the only question is whether it'll be the people in this room or not. And that brings us back to the vote."

"Can I say something first?" You ask as Kate takes a step forward, and whether she consciously or unconsciously knew it, she'd been signaling her readiness to start the vote, and you're not ready yet.

The woman glances around the room before seeming to have a brief silent conversation with Captain Price through their eyes. It's only a moment before she shrugs, offering you a casual. "I don't see why not?"

Hands coming up to run down the fronts of your thighs, you attempt to meet each of your soldier's eyes. Whatever impression they'd previously gotten from you, hopefully, it isn't permanently seared into their judgment. "First... and foremost, I think I owe you all an apology." As your eyes land on Keegan he immediately looks elsewhere, refusing to meet your gaze. Despite the sling on his shoulder over his hoodie, you know he's still holding resentment toward you. "I put the life of a teammate over the mission objective, and while I could've organized things better from the get-go, I recognize now how I let you all down." Eyes falling to the floor again, you can't help but kick the tip of your combat boots against the multicolored commercial worn-out carpeting of the debriefing room. "I realize I might not get a chance to lead you all again, but if I do... I promise you that I'll do everything in my power to not let you down again."

A deep breath replaces the sigh you let out as the next topic borders treacherous waters. "And I understand why some of you might want to back out now... but I do have to say that I can't. I won't. This is too important, not only to me, but to every single little kid outside these walls." Eyebrows furrowing, you can't help the way you begin to gesticulate with the rising emotions within. "I don't care how long it takes, but this is something that has to be dealt with, and that's why NATO hired us. They knew we could do it, and while you might not want to, and it might be the hardest thing you'll ever do... I'll be damned if I don't eradicate the Party."

Hands sliding themselves into your pockets, and with a purse of your lips, you turn your back on the team and offer Kate one last look before walking back toward the door you'd come in. Your face falls as you exit the room, unable to bear the agonizing wait that it'll take as the men deliberate not only their fate, but the fate of the team. One which you'd never even gotten around to naming.

------------

You find out their decision and next steps around dinner time through email. An automatic fist pump follows as you knew your speech would manage to do some good. At least, you hope it did. Before you can really revel in the fact that your method of persuading Laswell to give you a second chance and changing approaches toward the Party, the gentle slam of a plastic tray on the metal table beside you garners your attention.

"Looks like someone finally caught up on their emails," Graves jokes, sending Olivia a playful glance as he oddly takes a seat to your left.

"Knew you wouldn't give up that easily," Olivia comments with a reassuring smile as she takes a seat across from him. "Though I do have to say I'm curious about how you're gonna pull off that plan of yours. How do you even have him as a contact for bloody hell's sake?" Her posh accent never fails to elicit a smile from you. With a shake of your head, you shrug, eyes following the movement toward the end of the table. McKay slides her tray down toward your group as she approaches.

"Surprised you're not liftin' at this time o' night," Graves comments in her direction, eyeing the muscular woman as she slings a leg over the bench and slides into her seat beside Olivia, forcing the blonde to scoot over across from you, shifting the lovers to sit diagonally from each other.

Amala only responds with a hum of acknowledgment, her eyes unamused as they set upon you. "You're not serious about this, right? Like you're actually joking. You really think Laswell, not to mention, Price is gonna go through with this?" The brunette asks, all seriousness as she leans against the table, her upper half toppled over it as she attempts to close the space between the four of you. Almost as if what you're discussing is a secret. "You think you're just gonna get information from Makarov without a hitch and that's that? We all go free?"

"I guess we'll see," you retort with a shrug. Considering today's events, you're not really in the mood for arguing, and while the proposed plan isn't exactly foolproof, it still provides a better pay off and a more timely solution than what Laswell had originally offered. "It's already scheduled, so... for now all we can do is what they're asking us to do and then we'll see when we get there. Regardless, we're changing tactics. We're shifting gears."

A huff of exasperation leaves the woman as she sits back and crosses her arms over her chest. The slight shake of her head is only amplified by the motion of the dark curls surrounding her head. "I've gotta say, I'm not lookin' forward to training with those miserable tea-drinkin' grumps over there," Graves states. A tilt of his head indicates who he's talking about, and you can't help but instinctively look.

Oh God, how you wish you hadn't. As soon as you look, you can see that Ghost staring at you, though he's sitting at the end of the table facing you, so that's excusable at least. It's not just him, though, but the addition of Gaz. The brown-eyed man had been talking to Soap who leans his upper-half on the table, his arm bent, head held up against his fist, back facing you. Gaz notices your gaze, and the sour look on his face doesn't disappear, but instead is met with a roll of his eyes before he turns his gaze toward the Captain who sits across him. From where you sit across the room it's impossible to hear what they're talking about, and while you could try and read their lips if you really wanted, you don't have the mental energy to do so. Before you turn back, Soap rotates his head and meets your eyes from where he's propped his head up; immediately turning around, you're sure Gaz had mentioned your attention. Price is surely ignoring you, then, you assume.

"I'm not always a grump!" Olivia argues, a pout on her lips as she teases Graves.

"But you love yer tea," he teases back. Apparently, you'd missed some of their conversation, but you could care less considering the nasty looks your joint TaskForce has been giving you.

"They're really mad... aren't they?" You ask, interrupting whatever stupid lovey-dovey shit your friend and her... acquaintance have going on. Silence envelopes your group for a moment, and Amala doesn't bother to meet your eye as she'd begun eating her food when the topic changed.

"Mm... yeah... I think so," Olivia finally responds, a gentle yet solemn tone to her voice as she attempts to carefully broach the subject. "That doesn't mean you can't win them back though? I think showing them what you're capable of is more than enough. Once they see what you can do, you're set. I know it," she adds on. Extending a hand across the table, the blonde places it atop yours before offering a gentle squeeze. With that, the conversation ends, the lovers going back to whatever meaningless bickering they'd been consumed with before. Meanwhile, you're still ruminating on what the forthcoming weeks will entail.

~~~~~~~~~~

acronyms:

exfil: where you're extracted, picked up in the field

forever taglist: @ohdamnadam , @safarigirlsp , @jynzandtonic , @moonlightsolo

t&t taglist: @cosychick , @konigsqueen , @cutegor3 ,

[girlactionfigure]

ISRAEL REALTIME - noon updates - Oct 30 

— TERROR ATTACK, STABBING, JERUSALEM… by the gas station near the Shivtei Yisroel light rail station.  Terrorist shot, stabbing victim is a police officer - seriously wounded.

— HOSTAGE FOUND MURDERED IN GAZA… Shani Louk, 23, was last seen by the world as Hamas monsters kidnapped her, beat her, & paraded her through the streets of Gaza w/all the “innocent Gazans” celebrating. Contact was made to the terrorists, who said she was in serious condition in the hospital.  IDF soldiers who entered Gaza for the ground operation have found and identified her body (or parts, some bones, another report says).  HY”D, may G-d avenge her blood. (Former MK Dov Lipman)

— IDF ON THE MOVE… IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari: "Additional forces have entered the strip. We move on the ground, identify terrorists - and attack from the air”.

— IDF REACHES MID-GAZA… The Palestinians report that our forces have now reached Saladin Street, an axis that crosses the entire Gaza Strip. (Video of a car finding a tank and quickly driving away - not shared here.). According to Gazans, the video was filmed near what used to be called Netzer Junction.

— ROCKETS from GAZA.. Ashdod, Ashkelon.  Hit in Ashkelon, no casualties.

— US ATTACKED… At least 15 rockets were fired at the American base located in the El Amr oil field.  At least three strikes against this base alone in less than 24 hours

— THE WORST HORROR… ( WARNING - extreme horror but reality )  We share a link to a description from a reporter who saw the videos from the terrorists via the IDF briefly describing severe torture and infanticide.  We need to know and to understand the completely and total inhumanity of these “people”.  No quarter, no aid, no succor until all hostages are returned, all weapons are abandoned, full complete total unconditional surrender — and then direct to war crimes trials and execution and reeducation for the ‘innocent’ public.  THE LINK -> HERE

[sepublic]

Also what the hell is Anna's story. Her presence in the communist camp, plus her immediate hostility towards our American protagonists, seems to indicate that she's a communist and was in fact allied with the Russians there as a local guide. I'd like to know more about that, and how she navigated being rescued by an American chopper; Did she get back home or not? She might respect Dutch and his comrades posthumously, a bit more if she learns they were duped and were otherwise disapproving of the U.S.’s interventionism. But it wouldn’t exactly work out in the long run given their conflicting politics.

For all their macho bravado that is itself deconstructed, Dutch's squad seems to have an implied backstory of their own as well; Dillon alludes to him and Dutch being veterans of Vietnam when he mentions Hue, not to mention Mac's recollection of his past with Blain. And the obvious callbacks to the Vietnam war with the jungle setting, Cold War U.S.-interventionism, an unseen threat that lacks numbers but manages to win by hiding in the trees and ambushing our protagonists this way. The triumph of 'primitive' traps made from the local environment, over advanced machinery and guns.

Dutch doing a caveman yell to summon the Predator in the film's climax seems a bit of a nod to the "savage" being the one who wins out over the "civilized" one. But for all the Predator's advanced technology, it is arguably more "savage," because what defines "savage," especially when you think of how the ‘first world’ U.S. killed so many on such a vast scale?

And that gets me to my point; Dutch insisting to Dillon that he and his team are not "assassins" has its connotations. Even when Dillon claims the group prevented a communist invasion, it's clear that Dutch's sympathies vanished when he found out the hostages weren't civilian politicians but CIA operatives who fucked around and found out. There's definitely a clear skepticism towards U.S. interventionism, and I feel it's implied that everyone in Dutch's squad became cynical of such things after participating in the Vietnam War and witnessing atrocities committed towards the locals.

Because the word "assassin" pretty clearly paints them as murderers, people who go after innocents; It's not just that they don't want to die in the grinder for people who don't care. It's that they don't want to kill either, not for an unjustified cause. Dutch's team obviously has their internalized biases and they did still quip as they slaughtered an entire camp, but I think it's worth considering that people like Mac and Blain probably left the military out of a moral stance against war crimes towards civilians. Plus Billy is Sioux, which should also be taken into account regarding his views on the U.S. and its military actions during the Cold War.

In the end though, all of the characters are tricked into killing communists in a jungle for U.S. Cold War interests, and die because of it. They are picked off by someone who hides in the trees and uses ambush to take them out; It's the Vietnam War all over again. The general who orchestrated all this appears at the end in the chopper, to remind you that like in real life he gets off scot-free because the incident with the Yautja and its murders doesn’t matter so long as those communists are dead; He is the real winner* when everyone else loses, and he sat away from the action all soft and cushy. So despite a lack of explicit references to it, you can really tell how the specter of Vietnam, and the public's skepticism towards the nation's global interests, hangs over the entire story.

*That is unless Anna shoved the prick out of the helicopter and to his death once the credits rolled.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Published: Nov 30, 2023

Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, urged Israel on Tuesday to set a clear time limit for the Islamist terror organization to release all remaining Israeli and international hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

Yousef, who has become a vocal opponent of Hamas, even urged Israel to kill Hamas leaders, including his own father, if the terror organization does not release the hostages.

Yousef, who said he understands the Hamas mentality better than most people on the outside, emphasizes that neither Israel nor the international community can afford to release the "mass murderers" held in Israeli prisons in exchange for the hostages being held captive in Gaza.

"Hamas has been waging psychological warfare against humanity," he began.

They want to release thousands of mass murderers back to the streets in return for the Israeli hostages. Israel cannot afford this, but also humanity cannot afford this because the release of mass murderers... means the death of many other innocent people," Yousef said.

His father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, recognized as a spiritual leader within the Hamas organization and serves as the terror group’s spokesperson in the West Bank, has spent many years in Israeli jail for terrorism-related incitement.

On Oct. 19, Israeli forces arrested Yousef’s father once again, as part of the ongoing strategic operation to eliminate senior Hamas officials, also in Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank.

The former Hamas prince said he understood recent Israeli compromises driven by the urgency to release abducted Israeli women, children and elderly in Gaza.

"I understand that Israel had to compromise in the past week or two in order to release children, women, elders, and defenseless civilians," Yousef said.

However, he stressed that Israel must stop compromising and shift its focus toward eliminating Hamas.

Yousef urged that "the remaining hostages – especially soldiers, [and] those who failed to defend themselves and defend the civilians in the southern communities when they were captured – should be treated as war prisoners and Israel must shift its priority from a hostage rescue mission to an offensive that focuses on eradicating Hamas."

In October, Yousef told Fox News that Israel should “finish Hamas rule in Gaza.”

“It is the time to win the war against the most brutal terrorist organization living today,” Yousef urged.

Last week, Yousef warned the international community of the consequences if Hamas survives as a military and political force in Gaza during his speech at The Mission of Israel to the UN.

“If Hamas is not eradicated in Gaza, we will set the model, we will give the freedom to so many radical groups around the world."

Regarding Hamas endangering the lives of innocent civilians in Gaza they are supposed to protect, Yousef emphasized: “This crime – none of us should forgive this crime. Gambling with children's blood for political gain? It doesn't get worse than this.”

“So Israel now got stained by blood," he continued. "This is what Hamas wanted to happen from Day 1. They wanted to sacrifice thousands of children so Israel can take the blame…”

He blasted Hamas as “savages” who perpetrated unspeakable crimes against humanity, against both Israeli and Gazan civilians.

“If Israel fails in Gaza, all of us will be next,” he emphasized.

Yousef who no longer keeps in contact with his family, defected from the terrorist group in the late '90s and cooperated with Israel's security services to expose and prevent several Hamas terrorist attacks. He described his remarkable story of leaving the radical movement in his bestselling book Son of Hamas in 2010. He also describes in the book how he left Islam and found faith in Jesus.

==

[dartxo]

One Year of Genocide

Today marks one year since the state of Israel got the pretext they always wanted to launch a campaign of land seizure and genocide against the Palestinian people of Gaza. In that time, at least 41,000 people have been murdered in the strip alone (though some estimates put the real number in the hundreds of thousands), and the Israeli war machine has proceeded to expand its bloody, colonial enterprise onto other countries in the region: the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen... as any person with a tiny bit of sense knew they would. 

Though I'm not Palestinian, and I am fortunate and privileged in that I don't have the threat of violence, dispossession and death hanging over me, this year has been very difficult regardless. I have watched the worst images I have ever seen in my life, and heard the vilest, most dehumanizing rhetoric the human mind could possibly conceive of. I have witnessed governments, institutions, and people seemingly unlearn the lessons of history and sink back into a miasma of hysteria, hatred, and warmongering. I have experienced trolling, personal attacks, gaslighting, and censure like never before. And yet these are things I take on gladly, in service of a cause that I know is bigger than me. My burdens pale in comparison to those of the Palestinian people, who for an entire year and decades beforehand have experienced the full cruelty of the settler-colonial state: fear, hunger, sickness, humiliation, abuse, death. Nothing is too depraved for the Zionist entity. 

It's curious to look back on last year and think of all the angry, hostile comments I've got whenever I made my stance on Palestine known. Many were deranged, unrepentant, genocidal fanatics, unworthy of anyone's time and attention. But I also found myself engaging in tedious conversations with people who professed impartiality, non-violence and justice, only to discover that underneath many layers of self-righteousness and willful ignorance lurked people just as unrepentant and racist as all the rest. I do wonder what they'd have to say now, when the Israeli regime has single handedly debunked all of their arguments and excuses: deal after deal that has been sabotaged, the flat out refusal to recognize Palestinian self-determination and the lashing out against anyone that does, and the expansion of their murderous operations into places where there are no hostages, and no Hamas. 

Because ultimately, as much as I have learned from books, documentaries, human rights organizations, and Palestinians on the ground, my biggest source of enlightenment have ironically been Zionists themselves. Thanks to the words and deeds of Zionist leaders past and present, the occupation army's gleeful live-streaming of war crimes, and the hordes of online apologists, simps and trolls, I am now convinced more than ever that the state of Israel and the ideology it upholds has never been interested in peaceful, just coexistence, and never will. Even the tiniest show of sympathy towards the Palestinian people is a capital offense to them, and they will not be satisfied unless one licks the shit off their boots and thanks them for it. There's no doubt in my mind now that Zionism is an evil, racist ideology, and Israel an evil, racist nation. They will pursue their greedy, cruel, rapacious ends to the very last Palestinian, and even to the detriment of their own colonial project. 

That's the hope that keeps me going, really. That in spite of all the power it wields, and the violence and misery it has brought (or maybe because of it), the Zionist project is well on its way to meet its end. The first few days of the genocide were difficult, , with the rhetoric online making me think that I was the only sane person in a sea of madness and ignorance. Now I know that is not the case. Many, many more people stand with Palestine than with Israel, especially in countries like my own. The settler-colonial state has been dealt a political and public relations blow from which I doubt it will ever recover. American hegemony is well on the decline, and all of its accomplices will diminish and disappear with it. Zionism, sooner rather than later, will become a hated, disgraced ideology worldwide, just like its close cousin, Nazism, is. I only regret that thousands upon thousands of people will not live to see the day of their liberation. But that's why we fight: justice for the dead, and freedom for the living. 

Free Palestine 🇵🇸

[screwcharms]

One must understand before reading my take on the matter, I am a Cosmopolitanist and communist, and therefore do not believe nation-states should exist in the first place. So I hold no empathy for nationalists or the idea of sovereignty.

Free Russia from the Kremlin. Free Palestine from Hamas. Free Israel from far-right theocratic influence and control.

The only valid take I can really see on this situation as a whole is a nuanced one. It's best to have no sides in this war. Palestine and Israel regularly strike each other's left-wing parties, extending the conflict. Both countries have valid historical claims on the land. (technically neither group is actually native) Both sides have committed atrocity. Both sides have governments that suck.

Israeli leadership right now is absurdly atrocious and on the path of a theocracy. Not as bad as Iran, yet, but it's getting there. I hope that world events lead the country in a more liberal direction, but it is unlikely. I see no current solution to the Palestine-Israel situation.

Putting this take here because the rest of my rant may come off as one-sided because I'm only talking about recent events. In that, I do believe Israel has a right to hunt down Hamas members and rescue hostages, because of the severity of the cruelty shown by Hamas. however, I do not believe it has the right to annex or occupy any Palestinian territory because of this.

Where I disagree with fellow leftists in the present war at hand is the lack of understanding of the rules of war and the lack of nuance in opinion.

For example, in 2014, responding to the illegal occupation of Crimea, Ukraine ceased sending water to the area, The occupying or owning government is responsible for these things. This is mirrored when you see Israel cease supplying Gaza with food, water, and electricity.

Hamas and Israel have both made very clear that Gaza is not occupied in many public statements.

The scope and power of Hamas' attack proves that Israel has lacked "effective control" of Gaza for many years now.

Gaza is not occupied.

The U.N.'s own investigative commission (Palmer report) found the blockade of Gaza by Israel to be perfectly legal; As has Israel's high court.

The fundamental principle of the freedom of navigation on the high seas is subject to only certain limited exceptions under international law. Israel faces a real threat to its security from militant groups in Gaza. The naval blockade was imposed as a legitimate security measure in order to prevent weapons from entering Gaza by sea and its implementation complied with the requirements of international law.

There is no legal obligation to provide assistance or aid to an enemy populace not under occupation. The Allies did not provide food to Nazi Germany when they faced shortages during 1944/5, nor has any subsequent army provided food, water, or medicines to an enemy that they were are war with.

I will also touch on airstrikes conducted the IAF in Gaza. While I feel empathy for each civilian killed, it is not a war crime to have collateral civilian casualties in an attack on a valid military target. Which would be the Hamas tunnels under much of the Gaza Strip. Thankfully roof knocks keep civilian casualties from being higher.

It is however a war crime to have civilians occupying the space between a belligerent and a legitimate military target. "utilizing the presence of a civilian or other protected person to render certain points, areas, or military forces immune from military operations." Is prohibited. Which you see time and time again with Hamas.

Finally, I will touch on the lack of nuance. People were quick to flock to “free Palestinian” protests. People lack the understanding that Hamas is not Palestine, so I do not understand why “free Palestine” was the immediate response from these people.

I firmly believe that all the governments in that part of the world suck, including Israel. However, Hamas is worse than both PA and Israel, so I have no qualms with the current objective of destroying that terrorist group.

Cause gods know I've seen some fucked up videos from the Hamas raid.

Anyway, basically, it's okay to not have a black-and-white take on world events.

Rant over.

[minnowfishes]

Most of you probably will not read this. Here are some highlights. The only thing changed by me is IDF to IOF (for accuracy)

"The BBC supplied details of their allegations to the Israel Defense (occuoation) Forces (IOF). They did not respond directly to questions about these accounts or deny specific claims of mistreatment. But they denied that medical staff were harmed during their operation. They said that "any abuse of detainees is contrary to IOF orders and is therefore strictly prohibited.""

"The IOF told the BBC: "As a rule, during the arrest process, it is often necessary for terror suspects to hand over their clothes such that their clothes can be searched and to ensure that they are not concealing explosive vests or other weaponry. Clothes are not immediately returned to the detainees due to the suspicion they may conceal means that can be used for hostile purposes (such as knives). Detainees are given back their clothes when it's possible to do so.""

"Medical staff said that they were then taken into a hospital building, beaten, and then transported to a detention facility, all while undressed."

"The IOF told the BBC that it had "provided the hospital with hundreds of food rations and an alternative generator that enabled it to continue functioning and treat the patients within it."

On 18 February, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the hospital was short of food and basic medical supplies and had ceased to function. The remaining patients were sent to other hospitals around Gaza, and the medical staff who worked there left shortly afterward."

"The two other released detainees said that at some stage they were given medical checks but no medication. One said that instead of getting treatment for an injury, an IOF soldier hit him where he was injured."

"Multiple medics said that the IOF would not grant them permission to bury or even move the bodies of patients who died in the aftermath of the operation. The bodies remained inside with staff and patients"

"In its response, the IOF told the BBC that "about 200 terrorists and suspects of terrorist activity were detained, including some who posed as medical teams." They said that "many weapons were found, as well as closed medicines intended for Israeli hostages."

Do not expect this to just start getting better. Isreal is not being held accountable for blatant war crimes, and the government as a whole, in any country that could do something, is doing nothing and letting people be slaughtered.

horrific article from the bbc broke last about israel detaining healthcare workers, stripping them naked, and beating them for days on end. we already knew israel was doing this to palestinian detainees, but to be deliberately targeting medical personnel--doctors and nurses and medical assistants on the ground trying to heal wounded palestinians--and then literally torturing them are on levels of cruelty i can't even begin to compute.

a humanitarian law expert in this article calls the footage coming out of this "concerning." i call it the terms racists love to throw baselessly at arabs: barbaric and inhumane.

[darkmaga-returns]

Yahya Sinwar eliminated. Russia warns Israel. 24-hour ultimatum for Putin. FBI Quietly Alters Crime Data. Alex Jones issues a stark warning to America. FBI Agent Predicts FAKE Alien Attack

Lioness of Judah Ministry

Oct 18, 2024

IDF confirms: Yahya Sinwar eliminated

The October 7th mastermind was eliminated after a tank fired on a building that contained terrorists. No signs of hostages were found.

The IDF and ISA confirmed on Thursday that after a year-long pursuit, on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, IDF soldiers from the Southern Command eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip. "Yahya Sinwar planned and executed the October 7th Massacre, promoted his murderous ideology both before and during the war, and was responsible for the murder and abduction of many Israelis," the IDF stated. According the IDF: "Yahya Sinwar was eliminated after hiding for the past year behind the civilian population of Gaza, both above and below ground in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip. The dozens of operations carried out by the IDF and the ISA over the last year, and in recent weeks in the area where he was eliminated, restricted Yahya Sinwar’s operational movement as he was pursued by the forces and led to his elimination.

Wounded and alone: Drone footage of Sinwar's final moments

IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari published drone footage showing mass murderer Yahya Sinwar moments before his elimination.

IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari published on Thursday drone footage showing mass murderer Yahya Sinwar's final moments before his elimination. According to a preliminary investigation, on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., a soldier from the 450th Battalion noticed a suspicious individual leaving and entering a building in Rafah. The forces opened fire on the building. At 3:00 p.m., the forces identified, using a drone, three individuals leaving and walking between the buildings. Two of them were covered with blankets, they apparently walked in front of Sinwar to ensure the area was clear. The soldiers fired at the terrorists who were wounded and began to disperse. Two entered one building and Sinwar entered another. A tank fired at the building where the terrorists hid.

PM after Sinwar killing: Those holding hostages will be spared if they lay down arms, release them

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar marks “the beginning of the day after Hamas.”

“The one who carried out the worst massacre in the history of our people since the Holocaust, the mass murderer who murdered thousands of Israelis, abducted hundreds of our people, was eliminated today by our heroic soldiers,” Netanyahu says in a video statement. “Today, as we promised we would, we settled accounts with him. Today, evil suffered a heavy blow, but our mission is not yet completed.” Turning to the hostages’ families, Netanyahu says: “This is an important moment in the war. We will continue with full force until all your loved ones — our loved ones — are returned home. That is our supreme obligation. That is my supreme obligation.”

No US role in Israel operation that killed Hamas leader, Pentagon says

The US military said on Thursday its forces had no role in the Israeli operation that killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, even if US intelligence has contributed to Israel's understanding of Hamas leaders who took hostages last year following the October 7 attack. 

"This was an Israeli operation. There (were) no US forces directly involved," said Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson. "The United States has helped contribute information and intelligence as it relates to hostage recovery and the tracking and locating of Hamas leaders who have been responsible for holding hostages. And so certainly that contributes in general to the picture."

[combinedmixture]

This week’s attacks were not, as Israel’s defenders claimed, “surgical” or a “precisely targeted anti-terrorist operation”. Israel and Hezbollah are sworn enemies. The current round of fighting has seen tens of thousands of Israelis displaced from the Israel-Lebanon border because of the Shia militant group’s rocket and artillery attacks. However, the pager bombs were clearly intended to target individual civilians – diplomats and politicians – who were not directly participating in hostilities. The plan appeared to produce what lawyers might call “excessive incidental civilian harm”. Both these arguments have been levelled at Russia to claim Moscow was committing war crimes in Ukraine. It’s hard to say why the same reasoning is not applied to Israel – apart from that it is a western ally. Such disproportionate attacks, which seem illegal, are not only unprecedented but may also become normalised. If that is the case, the door is opened for other states to lethally test the laws of war. The US should step in and restrain its friend, but Joe Biden shows no sign of intervening to stop the bloodshed. The road to peace runs through Gaza, but Mr Biden’s ceasefire plan – and the release of hostages – has not found favour with either Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, or Hamas. The worry is that Israel’s actions lead to a disastrous all-out conflict that would pull the US into a regional fight. The world stands on the edge of chaos because Mr Netanyahu’s continuing hold on power and consequent insulation from corruption charges depend largely on his nation being at war. None of this is possible without US complicity and assistance. Perhaps it is only after its presidential election that the US will be able to say that the price of saving Mr Netanyahu’s skin should not be paid in the streets of Lebanon or by Palestinians in the occupied territories. Until then, the rules-based international order will continue to be undermined by the very countries that created the system.

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

Today, once more we had Palestinian terrorists shooting at the houses of kibbutz Meirav in the Gilboa mountains. No injuries have been reported. The more grave news are that, for the second day in a row, Hezbollah managed to hit a city in Israel, this time Tzfat (in English: Safed), one of the 4 holy cities in Judaism. Hezbollah's rocket barrage caused the death of a young Israeli woman, and wounded 8, one of which is in a critical state.

Meanwhile, we got some good news, too. The mother and teenage son who were seriously hurt by Hezbollah's fire yesterday (see link above) have regained consciousness. Also, Luis Har and Fernando Merman, who had been rescued by the IDF from Hamas captivity in the Gazan city of Rafah, are being released from the hospital today. They obviously have a rehabilitation process to go through still, but this is a good sign.

The IDF has released footage it found of the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, walking down a terror tunnel. The footage is from early in the war, CCTV from Oct 7, as he was evacuating from the northern part of Gaza, exploiting the humanitarian warning given to civilians to move to the south. He's seen with a woman and kids in that tunnel, presumably his wife and his own children. While the footage is older, the IDF got it recently, which shows that the Israeli presence in Gaza allows for the gathering of more and more intel on Hamas.

Speaking of Sinwar, the IDF also got to the bedroom that he, his wife and kids used underground, and among other things, they found there an insne amount of cash, as well as some luxury items like perfumes, which he prepared there, while he forced the people of Gaza to be evacuated into tents:

While South Africa is asking the International Court of Justice to tighten its provisional measures against Israel in light of a future ground operation in Rafah (I've mentioned that only those who are interested in saving Hamas and keeping the Israeli hostages as its assets, have a real reason to try and stop Israel from entering Rafah and destroying Hamas' last 4 regiments), the families of Israeli hostages have landed in Hague today, asking to file a complaint against Hamas and its crimes against humanity.

The Israeli health ministry is preparing for 20,000 people with disabilities due to injuries caused in the line of serving in the IDF by the end of 2024. I don't know how to put into words what this number, out of all able bodied young people fighting in this war, means in terms of our challenges as a soceity for years to come, but if you know something of the social crisis at the end of WWI, when so many young men returned from the war with injuries, amputations and the psychological harm that comes with them and the battles, and that there was a whole artistic movement (expressionism) changed and conveying this distress, then you have an idea of what this means. I'm even more grateful for programs such as the one I wrote about yesterday.

This is 25 years old Ionatan Dean Chaim.

He was born in the US to a Christian family, but fell in love with Judaism, and converted to it. He then chose to make aliyah to Israel all alone, while his family remains across the ocean. Immigration is always a difficult step, even more so if the person is alone, but he chose to do that. And even though he didn't have to, he decided to enter the Israeli army, to serve the state and the people which he chose to join. He was 3 weeks away from his discharge date, and his friends say he was already planning his post-army life, which he was killed by explosives that Hamas placed in a mosque in Gaza. His service is a testament to how much he loved and respected his chosen religion. The way he was killed is a testament to how much Hamas doesn't respect the religion in whose name they kill. Ionatan's friends said he was incredibly kind, and it was a privilege to know him. Even the city he lived in during his too short stay in Israel, Ramat Gan, published an official statement mourning his death. He chose to be one of us, and to pay a heavy price for it, and we choose to embrace him right back, even after he's gone. Ionatan is and always will be a part of us, flesh of our flesh.

May his memory be a blessing.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[finlaure13]

MIDDLE EAST

August 5, 2024 2:26 PM UTC

No respite for the dead in Gaza

People watch as the bodies of unidentified Palestinians are buried at a mass grave after the bodies were handed over by Israel, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip August 5, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

In war-ravaged Gaza, even the dead cannot rest.

Residents of the southern city of Khan Younis said Israeli soldiers have dug up graves on several occasions at the Bani Suhaila cemetery in the Palestinian enclave.

Bilal Al-Qahwaji buried several members of his family, including two brothers, there in November after they were killed in an Israeli air strike. He can no longer find their bodies.

"They (Israeli forces) dug it up once again – a first, second and third time," he said.

“There are no corpses. My martyrs are all in this area and I didn't find them,” Qahwaji added, referring to his dead relatives.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it should be clear that it "in no way targets cemeteries as such, and has no policy of harming or desecrating cemeteries".

"During a war in which Hamas purposely embeds itself deeply within the civilian population, including within and adjacent to civilian sites like cemeteries, physical damage to such sites might occur," it added.

Israel's military has previously said it dug in Bani Suhaila to find and destroy a tunnel it says the Islamist group Hamas built to house a military command centre, a use it argued deprived the site of international legal protection.

The International Criminal Court's founding Rome Statute defines the desecration of dead bodies as a war crime.

Israeli air strikes have made major cemeteries in Gaza dangerous to reach, so mourning families are burying their dead in informal graveyards dug in empty lots amid an intensifying siege.

Israel has killed over 39,000 people in Gaza and reduced much of the small enclave to rubble since Hamas attacked the country on Oct. 7, according to local health authorities.

Many Palestinians have fled up and down Gaza seeking a safe place to shelter. Ten months into the conflict, the cemetery in Khan Younis has suffered damage several times in Israeli air strikes and during ground operations there, residents say.

With hospital morgues also filled with the bodies constantly arriving from bomb sites, families must find other places to bury their dead.

Israel launched its war in Gaza after militants from the Hamas Islamist group that ran the enclave burst across the border fence killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

"All this destruction, every day we are out on the streets. Shame on you, our children have been martyred," said Ahlam Farhan, a Gaza resident whose son was killed in the war.

"The dead were not spared from the Jews (Israelis). Where should we go? Tell us."

The destruction of grave sites comes as Palestinians face shortages of food, fuel, water, medicine and functioning hospitals. Mediators from Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt have failed to secure a ceasefire, so the death toll is expected to keep rising.

Qahwaji said the United Nations and other international organizations should help return the bodies of those who were buried in the cemetery.

But for now, Palestinians have to deal with the ruins and remains on their own, as members of the Khan Younis Civil Defence zip body bags on the ground and carry them onto trucks.

“This is a war crime in itself, to dig up graves that are more than 50 years old,” said Yamen Abu Suleiman, its director.

On May 20, the International Criminal Court prosecutor's office requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence chief Yoav Gallant, and for three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza war.

As the living grapple with a humanitarian crisis and air strikes, some Palestinians ask why the dead were disturbed.

“Were they taking revenge on the dead in their graves, by digging them up and taking them out into the open?” Abu Suleiman asked.

Children and young people react as the bodies of unidentified Palestinians are buried at a mass grave after the bodies were handed over by Israel, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip August 5, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Writing by Catherine Cartier, Editing by Michael Georgy, William Maclean

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles

[lostbluewind]

Hind's Hall is currently at over 5,500,000 plays on Spotify, over 2 million views on Youtube for the music video, and over 700,000 views on Youtube for the audio only version. All proceeds, of course, are going to UNRWA. I'm so happy to see the turnout on the song and videos. Please, please keep streaming the song and doing your daily clicks on Arab.org.

But I found another couple of songs I thought people would like to know about. The singer's name is Seth Stanton Watkins. The song above is an original song, written by Seth, and posted to Youtube on December 22, 2023. It currently, as of May 14, 2024, has 444,158 views on Youtube, and 62,909 plays on Spotify.

Seth is donating all streaming revenue of both this song and Fields of Palestine to Operation Olive Branch to go to families in Gaza. The link to stream on Spotify can be found here.

Please consider streaming Oh Palestine, Oh Palestine and Fields of Palestine alongside Hind's Hall, that way both UNRWA and Operation Olive Branch are able to do their jobs to help.

The description of the Youtube video reads:

"*All streaming revenue will be donated to families in Gaza via Operation Olive Branch*

"You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know." - William Wilberforce

The US once again vetoed an amendment to the UN resolution on Gaza calling for a permanent ceasefire and abstained from the vote for a neutered resolution calling for increased aid but no ceasefire.

At the time of writing (12/22/2023), 20,000+ Palestinian civilians have been martyred in Gaza over the past 77 days. In other modern conflicts, the proportion of children killed is usually around 6-8%. In Gaza, it is 40%, roughly 8,000 and counting. Many thousands more are likely dead beneath the rubble. Half the population is starving and hundreds of thousands now suffer from the spread of preventable disease. Hundreds of trucks with aid are waiting at the border as Israel prevents most from entering.

At this point, Israel has bombed virtually every corner of Gaza, including any space they have designated as a 'safe zone'. They have captured and summarily executed, point blank, men, women, and children. Zionist settlers have already drawn up plans for beachfront properties where Palestinian homes once stood. The Israeli civilian fatalities from Oct. 7th now sit at 695 individuals (we mourn their loss) and we now have video evidence of Israeli tanks in Kibbutz Be'eri shelling Israeli homes with as many as 15 occupants still inside.

The death and destruction wrought by the IDF is unprecedented in modern times and must be unilaterally condemned. The callous disregard for Palestinian lives from the Israeli and US governments is depravity beyond comprehension. This disregard resulted in the execution of three Israeli hostages by the IDF, mistaken for Palestinian civilians, who despite having been shirtless, weaponless, and bearing clearly visible white flags, were shot and killed, one in the back as he ran away crying for help in Hebrew.

I have seen footage that I cannot unsee and I weep for the martyrs and all those still suffering. Please follow the brave journalists and reporters on the ground in Gaza for daily updates and first hand accounts of the many war crimes now attributable to the IDF. Motaz, Bisan, and Ahmed Hijazi are but a few. If you want to learn more about the history referenced in each verse, you can read the following books by Palestinian, Israeli, and Jewish authors.

1. "The Hundred Years War on Palestine" by Rashid Khalidi

2. "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" by Israeli historian Ilan Pappe 3. "The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of Gaza and the Occupied Territories" by Ilan Pappe

4. "Gaza: An Inquest Into Its Martyrdom" by Norman Finkelstein

5. "On Palestine" by Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe

6. "The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine" by Miko Peled

7. "Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History" by Nur Masalha

8. "Ten Myths About Israel" by Ilan Pappe

9. "The Palestinian Laboratory" by Antony Loewenstein

10. "The Punishment of Gaza" by Gideon Levy

Finally, I reject wholeheartedly any and all forms of anti-Semitism but also recognize the basic truth that anti-Zionism does not equal anti-Semitism. There are many thousands of Jewish people around the world who are anti-Zionist, many of whom are very outspoken, and we need only listen.

CEASEFIRE NOW.

END THE APARTHEID.

FREE PALESTINE."

Lyrics:

In 1948, the natives were expelled From the land of the ancestors, their homes and cities shelled

From the traitors in Transjordan and the clandestine British demand, by the settler Zionist army that rampaged across the land

Oh Palestine, oh Palestine, We hear your desperate plea That once again across the land Your people can be free

Oh Palestine, Oh Palestine Your people live in fear We demand your emancipation From the river to the sea

In 1967, Israel did invade To conquer and to colonize What little had remained

The people of old Palestine Once again their fates entwined With the Zionist occupation Of their homes and weary minds

Oh Palestine, oh Palestine, We hear your desperate plea That once again across the land Your people can be free

Oh Palestine, Oh Palestine Your people live in fear We demand your emancipation From the river to the sea

In 2023, they’ve come a final time To destroy your homes and families With a murderous lethal design

The bombs o’er head are falling As our leaders continue their lies The sky does glow and the blood it flows As we hear the children's cries

Oh Palestine, oh Palestine, We hear your desperate plea That once again across the land Your people can be free

Oh Palestine, Oh Palestine Your people live in fear We demand your emancipation From the river to the sea

We stand with your emancipation Your people will be free