Thread: Hamas Attack, breakout from Gaza many rockets fired

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Snubbie would have made an excellent little Nazi,

Stubbie would indeed, but he seems more of a buffoon and far less amusing than Charlie. And more manic.

Originally Posted by salsa dancer

he seems more of a buffoon

not sure if it's polit to point out pot kettle

Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has inevitably drawn comparisons to other battles or wars, both modern and from the past. These comparisons are mostly used to make the case that Israel's operations in Gaza are the most destructive in history, or the deadliest in history.

Yet while the use of historical analogy may be tempting for armchair pundits, in the case of Israel's current war, the comparisons are often poorly cited, the data used inaccurate, and crucial context left out. Given the scale and context of an enemy purposely entrenched in densely populated urban areas, as well as the presence of tunnels, hostages, rockets, attackers that follow the laws of war while defenders purposely do not, and proximity between the frontlines and the home front, there is basically no historical comparison for this war.

Let's start with the context: After Hamas crossed into Israel on Oct. 7, murdering over 1,200 Israelis in brutal ways that included mutilation and sexual assaults as well as taking over 200 hostages back into Gaza, Israel formally declared a defensive war against Hamas in Gaza in accordance with international law and the United Nations charter. Since, the IDF estimates it has killed 10,000 Hamas operatives, while Hamas claims that the total number of casualties is 24,000 (Hamas does not distinguish civilian deaths from militant deaths).

The truth is that Israel has painstakingly followed the laws of armed conflict and implemented many steps to prevent civilian casualties, despite enormous challenges. Israel's military faced over 30,000 Hamas militants in over 400 miles of defensive and offensive tunnels embedded in and under civilian areas, populations and protected sites such as hospitals, mosques, schools, and United Nations facilities across multiple cities.

Hamas' strategy is to use Palestinian civilians as human shields, because their goal is not to defeat Israel's military or to hold terrain; it is far more sinister and medieval—to use the death and suffering of Palestinian civilians to rally international support to their cause and demand that Israel halt their war.

Meanwhile, Israel's war aims were more traditional: returning Israeli hostages, dismantling Hamas military capability, and securing their border to prevent another October 7 attack.

These goals required not one major urban battle but multiple. While Gaza is not the densest populated urban region on earth as many claim, it features over 20 densely-populated cities. And while the Israeli Defense Forces are engaged in fighting, Hamas has continued to launch over 12,000 rockets on nearly every day of the war from the combat area toward civilian-populated areas in Israel, literally over the heads of the attacking IDF, who it bears mentioning are fighting just a few miles from their homeland and the homes of their soldiers.

Put all of this together, this war is simply without precedent. Certainly, it cannot be compared to the host of other wars that have been used for comparison sake to paint Israel in an unflattering light.

Some have compared Israel to Russia, yet there is simply no comparison. In the 2022 Battle of Mariupol, estimates of the number of civilians killed range up to 25,000, including 600 civilians killed in a single bombing of a theater with the word "children" written in giant letters around it. This is the same Russia that killed over 50,000 civilians (5 percent) of a 1.1 million pre-war population of Chechnya in 20 months of combat in the late 1990s in multiple major urban battles such as Grozny.

Or take Syria. Over 300,00 civilians have been killed in the Syrian war; an average of 84 civilians were killed every day from 2013 to 2023.

Others have compared the battles in Gaza to World War II air campaigns like the UK bombing of the German city of Dresden in 1945 that killed an estimated 25,000 civilians. But here, too, memory is selective: These same people discount air campaign cases such as the U.S. firebombing of Tokyo the same year that killed over 300,000 civilians, to include 80,000 to 100,000 civilians in a single night, causing more death and destruction than Dresden, Hiroshima, or Nagaski.

A battle that does bear a resemblance to Israel's war against Hamas is the 1945 Battle of Manila—the largest urban struggle of World War II, with more civilian casualties incurred than even the Battle of Stalingrad. The city had a population of 1.1 million residents as well as over 1,000 American prisoners of war being held in the city. It took the U.S. military 35,000 forces and a whole month to defeat 17,000 Japanese Navy defenders in and around the city.

Like in Gaza, the defenders used the city's sewer and tunnel systems for offensive and defensive purposes. And there were over 100,000 civilian deaths from the battle—one of the major factors of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which stipulated the laws of armed conflict to further protect civilians and prevent civilian deaths.

Most experts compare the Gaza war to the recent urban battles against ISIS involving United States forces, including the 2016-17 Battle of Mosul. In that battle, over 100,000 Iraqi Security Forces, backed by American advisors and U.S. and coalition air power, took nine months to clear a city of 3,000 to 5,000 lightly armed ISIS fighters. The battle resulted in over 10,000 civilian deaths, 138,000 houses destroyed or damaged and 58,000 damaged with 40,000 homes destroyed outright in just Western Mosul. Iraqi Security Forces suffered 10,000 casualties. There were very limited, shallow, house-to-house tunnels, but no tunnel networks, no hostages, no rockets.

In April of 2004, the U.S. military was directed to arrest the perpetrators of an attack that caused the death of four American civilians and deny insurgents sanctuary in the densely populated city of Fallujah, Iraq, a city of 300,000 residents. The battle that ensued was later dubbed the First Battle of Fallujah. Because of international condemnation and political instability fueled by international media over a perceived indiscriminate use of force and civilian casualties, the U.S. forces were ordered by the U.S. Central Command Commander to stop the battle six days into it.

Estimates of the total civilian deaths from the battle range from 220 to 600. Six months later, in November 2004, the U.S. military initiated the Second Battle of Fallujah. It took 13,000-15,000 U.S., UK, and Iraqi forces six weeks to clear the city of 3,000 insurgents. There were some 800 civilian deaths even though the city's residents had largely evacuated before the battle. Over sixty percent the city's buildings were damaged or destroyed. But there, too, the enemy defenders did not have access to tunnels.

Ultimately, comparisons with both past and modern cases highlight the fact that there is almost no way to defeat an entrenched enemy defender without destruction, even while implementing all feasible precautions and limits on the use of force required by the laws of war.

Let's put away our military history books. There is no comparison to what Israel has faced in Gaza—certainly none by which Israel comes out looking the worse.

https://www.newsweek.com/memo-expert...pinion-1868891

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Anyway, we Irish have always supported Palestine in its fight for freedom and have nothing but admiration for HAMAS, PLO, and all the other brave fighters who’ve sacrificed their lives in the struggle against the Israeli tyrant and their continuing invasion of Palestine.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Gestapo Snubbie.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

The concept of a nationalist Northern Irish citizen expressing a view of his country is clearly beyond your comprehension.

Anyone that takes this Marxist terrorist supporter seriously is nothing more than a full stop fucking idiot. This clown is the perfect example of the "pro-palestine" bozo movement of losers and castaway scum.

Wasting time reading a word of his kremlin supplied lies is an utter waste of time, literally nothing this bozo spouts is in any way connected to reality. Sad to see Hal as a hanger on to this dogma and lies.

Fools being led off a cliff.

Originally Posted by Salsa dancer

Stubbie would indeed, but he seems more of a buffoon and far less amusing than Charlie. And more manic.

To quote myself above...

Anyone that takes this terrorist supporter seriously is nothing more than a full stop fucking idiot.

^ and ^^

Spot on.


Let israel get on with the job. In the future the world will thank them for ridding us of these islamist cockroaches who only want to forcibly impose their medieval beliefs on a world that has moved on.

Jordanian King joins mission to airdrop aid to Gaza

"Jordanian King Abdullah II participated in the airdropping of humanitarian aid to Gaza. State-owned television channel Al-Mamlaka shared a video showing King Abdullah II in military gear on board a plane in the latest mission by the Jordanian Air Force to drop urgent medical supplies to field hospitals in the besieged strip."

Just a moment...

17 Feb, 2024 07:49


HomeWorld News


US planning to send bombs to Israel – WSJ

"Reported deliberations over shipments come as West Jerusalem says it is preparing a new offensive in Gaza

The administration of US President Joe Biden is preparing to transfer a batch of bombs and other military equipment worth tens of millions of dollars to Israel amid its conflict with Hamas, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing sources.

According to current and former US officials interviewed by the paper, the potential delivery could include around 1,000 500-pound MK-82 bombs, precision guidance kits for the bombs, as well as fuses. The shipment is reportedly still under review by officials, and the terms could change. The transfer would also have to be approved by Congress.

An assessment drafted by the US Embassy in Israel reportedly said that West Jerusalem had asked for the rapid transfer to defend against “continued and emerging regional threats.”


While Israel’s onslaught on Gaza in recent months has brought unprecedented destruction to the Palestinian enclave, the document said, as quoted by the WSJ, that “Israel takes effective action to prevent gross violations of human rights,” adding that the country has always been “a transparent partner in US investigations into allegations of defense article misuse.”

The US scrambled to supply Israel with military equipment after Hamas launched a surprise attack on the country on October 7. At one point in December, the Biden administration bypassed Congress to approve an emergency sale of around 14,000 tank ammunition shells to Israel. There have also been media reports that some of the US military supplies received by Israel were originally destined for Kiev, which is now complaining about ammunition shortages.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Friday that the country is planning a military offensive in Rafah in the southern part of the enclave. Biden, however, cautioned Israel against launching an operation without a “credible and executable plan” to protect the hundreds of thousands of civilians in the area.

Hostilities between Hamas and Israel have so far claimed the lives of around 1,200 Israelis and nearly 29,000 Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that peace in the region can only be achieved after the armed group is destroyed and Palestinian society is “deradicalized.” He has also pushed back against a potential peace deal that would involve the “unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.”"

US planning to send bombs to Israel – WSJ — RT World News

"precision guided bombs", not that the blue suede shoes are too worried about that.

There are 2 sides in this tragedy

1 Those who support or act violently to non combatants be that either hamas idf jihadi

2 Moderates who support peace and reconciliation

Yemen's Houthis claim attack on ship in Gulf of Aden, say it could sink

Reuters

February 19, 20248:13 PM GMT+7Updated 2 hours ago

"CAIRO/LONDON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Houthi militants in Yemen said on Monday they had attacked the Rubymar cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden and the vessel was now at risk of sinking - raising the stakes in their campaign to disrupt global shipping in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.
The crew are safe, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement. The Houthis had also shot down a U.S drone in the port city of Hodeidah, he said.

"The ship was seriously hit which caused it to stop completely. As a result of the extensive damage the ship suffered, it is now at risk of sinking in the Gulf of Aden," Sarea said.
The Rubymar sustained damaged after two missiles were fired at the vessel from Yemen although the crew were able to evacuate, the vessel's maritime security company LSS-SAPU told Reuters on Monday.

"We know she was taking in water," LSS-SAPU said when asked about the vessel's condition.

"There is nobody on board now," LSS-SAPU said. "The owners and mangers are considering options for towage."
So far, no ships attacked have been sunk or any crew killed but there are growing safety fears.

Iran-aligned Houthi forces have made repeated drone and missile attacks since mid-November against international commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait - a route that accounts for about 12% of the world's shipping traffic.

The militia has vowed to continue their attacks as long as Israel continues to commit "crimes" against Palestinians.
The Belize-flagged, British-registered and Lebanese-operated general cargo ship came under attack in the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen on Sunday, British maritime security firm Ambrey said.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported on Sunday that the crew had abandoned a ship off Yemen after an explosion - apparently the same incident.

In a second incident in hours, a Greece-flagged, U.S. owened bulk carrier was attacked on Monday by missiles in two separate attempts, with no injuries to the crew although one window onboard was damaaged, Greek shipping ministry sources told Reuters.
The vessel was sailing from Argentina to Aden with grain with 23 crew members onboard inclduing 5 Greek nationals, the ministry source said.

The attacks have prompted several companies to halt Red Sea voyages and take a longer and more expensive route around Africa. U.S. and British warplanes have carried out retaliatory strikes across Yemen.
Seafarers remain in the firing line, and have already signed agreements to refuse to sail on ships passing through the Red Sea and receive double pay double pay when entering the high-risk zones.

Shipping industry associations on Monday called for the immediate release of the 25 crew members of the Galaxy Leader, which was hijacked by the Houthis on Nov 19, marking three months since their capture.
"The 25 seafarers who make up the crew of the Galaxy Leader are innocent victims of the ongoing aggression against world shipping, and their plight is a major concern as the merchant shipping community continues to come under attack," the associations said in a joint statement.
"It is abhorrent that seafarers were seized by military forces and that they have been kept from their families and loved ones for too long."

The CEO of QatarEnergy, Saad al-Kaabi, said on Monday that disruption to shipping in the Red Sea region would impact its deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG) but not its production.
"It's only going to take longer to get it there. But it will not reach a point where we have to stop production because there isn't any ship. We're okay," Kaabi said at a groundbreaking ceremony at the Ras Laffan petrochemical complex.
One of the world's largest exporters of LNG, QatarEnergy said in January it had stopped sailing via the Red Sea for security reasons.

Houthi militants in Yemen, who control the country's most populous regions, have targeted vessels with commercial ties to the United States, Britain and Israel, shipping and insurance sources say.
War risk insurance premiums have been creeping higher and are now around 1% of the value of the vessels with various discounts, which still works out at hundreds of thousands of dollars of additional costs per voyage, insurance sources said.
"As a result of the significantly increased risk in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden area, additional premiums for war risks have risen dramatically," insurance broker Gallagher Specaility Marine said in a report last week.

"Shipping companies must weigh up the increased costs and journey times against the risk to their vessels, and, most importantly, the safety of the crew onboard."

reuters.com

Reported by Reuters only vessels, with commercial ties to the United States, Britain and Israel, are being attacked.

Originally Posted by OhOh

Reported by Reuters only vessels, with commercial ties to the United States, Britain and Israel, are being attacked.

does that include grain ships bound for Iran?

The US vetoes another UN resolution calli g for an immediate ceasefire. The UK abstained with the other 13 members of the security council in favour.

US is a right bunch of hypocrites. The Zionists need to be controlled and prevented from these atrocities in Gaza.

Originally Posted by Troy

US is a right bunch of hypocrites

Suppose they are but this adminisration is no different than it's predecessors in supporting Isreal. The power of the pro Jewish lobby is so strong, any politcian expressing anti Isreal position can kiss his political career goodbye.

Same excuse used for gun laws. Doesn't make it right.
The US needs to stop pandering their Jewish contingent and do what is right. Same goes for the gun nutters.

Currently America is not for the free but for a small minority of rich people.

Originally Posted by Troy

Doesn't make it right.

Nope it doesn't imo. Just the way it is and I know nothing will change in my lifetime no matter who I vote for.

Objection to cease-fire in Gaza no different from giving green light to slaughter: Chinese envoy

By Global Times

Published: Feb 21, 2024 12:07 PM

"Following the US veto on a Security Council draft resolution that would have demanded an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, China's United Nations envoy said Tuesday that objection to a cease-fire in Gaza is no different from giving the green light to the continued slaughter.

The draft resolution won 13 votes in favor among the 15 members of the Security Council. The UK abstained.

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, voted in favor of the draft resolution and made an explanatory statement on China's position, Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

China expresses its strong disappointment and dissatisfaction with the US veto, said Zhang.

Algeria, on behalf of the Arab states, put forward the draft resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, the immediate release of all hostages, guaranteed access to humanitarian supplies, and the rejection of forced displacement. The resolution, based on minimum humanitarian requirements, is urgently required by the situation on the ground and deserves the support of all Security Council members, he said in the explanation after the vote.

Algeria, demonstrating reason, sincerity, and an open attitude, held lengthy and extensive consultations with all parties on the draft resolution and took on board many constructive ideas, which made the draft resolution more balanced, he said.

"The outcome of today's vote clearly shows that on the issue of a cease-fire to halt the fight in Gaza, it is not that the Security Council does not have an overwhelming consensus, but rather it is the exercise of veto by the United States that stifles the council consensus."

The US veto sends a wrong message, pushing the situation in Gaza into a more dangerous phase, said Zhang.

Also on Wednesday, Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, made similar remarks at a press conference. Mao stated that China had voted in favor of the Security Council draft resolution but the US once again vetoed it, pushing the situation in Gaza to a more dangerous stage, noting that all relevant parties, including China, had expressed strong disappointment in the development.

The US claim that a resolution would interfere with the ongoing diplomatic efforts is totally untenable. Given the situation on the ground, the continued passive avoidance of an immediate cease-fire is nothing different from giving the green light to the continued slaughter, he said.

While the draft resolution has been vetoed, the spillover of the conflict is destabilizing the entire Middle East region, leading to rising risks of a wider war. Only by extinguishing the flames of war in Gaza can the world prevent the fires of hell from engulfing the entire region. The Security Council must act quickly to stop this carnage, Zhang noted.

The Security Council must take action to push for a cease-fire. This should not be a matter of debate, but rather a moral obligation that the council cannot shy away from. It is a legal responsibility that the council must assume. Even more so, this is a political requirement that the council must fulfill in accordance with the UN Charter, he said.

"The veto cannot muffle the strong call for a cease-fire and an end to the war. The Security Council cannot stop its work to uphold justice and fulfill its responsibilities just because of the veto," he said.

China urges Israel to heed the call of the international community, abandon its plans for a Rafah offensive, and stop the collective punishment of the people of Palestine. China expects countries with significant influence to have fewer political calculations, but rather to be truly impartial and responsible, and to make the right choice to push for a cease-fire in Gaza. China calls on the international community to pool all diplomatic efforts to give the people of Gaza a chance to survive, give the people of the entire Middle East region a chance to have peace, and a chance for justice to be upheld, said Zhang.

Mao said that China will continue to work with all parties in the international community to push the Security Council to take further responsible and meaningful actions and make unremitting efforts to end the war in Gaza at an early date, ease the humanitarian situation, promote the implementation of the two-state solution and realize lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.

Since the outbreak of a new round of large-scale Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023, Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed nearly 30,000 people, according to Xinhua.

The international community has formed an overwhelming call for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, but a UN Security Council draft resolution calling for a cease-fire has been repeatedly blocked by the US.

Xinhua noted that this is the fourth time the US has vetoed a cease-fire in Gaza, after vetoing a draft resolution proposed by Brazil in October last year, a draft resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates in December, and an amendment proposed by Russia."

Objection to cease-fire in Gaza no different from giving green light to slaughter: Chinese envoy - Global Times

India says Israel must observe international humanitarian law

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar calls for establishment of humanitarian corridor in Gaza to ensure safe delivery of aid to Palestinian civilians

Anadolu staff |

18.02.2024 - Update : 18.02.2024

"BERLIN


India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar urged Israel to abide by international law amid growing concerns about a planned ground operation in Rafah.

Jaishankar said at the Munich Security Conference that there can be no justification for Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack but Israel’s response must strictly be within the framework of international humanitarian law.

“As Israel responds, it is important that Israel should be, should have been very mindful of civilian casualties, that it has an obligation to observe international humanitarian law,” he said.

Jaishankar urged Hamas to release all captives who are being held in Gaza. He also encouraged more efforts to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians.

“There is a need for a humanitarian corridor, a sustainable humanitarian corridor, to provide relief. And eventually there has to be a permanent fix, a long-term fix, otherwise we're going to see a recurrence,” he said.

Jaishankar also said that India believes that a two-state solution is the right prospect for Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace and security.

“India has long believed in a two-state solution, we have maintained that position for many decades. And I think today many more countries in the world today feel that the two-state solution is not just necessary but it is more urgent than it was before,” he said.

Since a cross-border incursion by Hamas on Oct. 7 that killed less than 1,200 people, an ensuing Israeli offensive into Gaza has killed more than 28,600 victims, mostly women and children, and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and to take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza."

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacifi...n-law/3140790#

Originally Posted by bsnub

Anyone that takes this Marxist terrorist supporter seriously is nothing more than a full stop fucking idiot. This clown is the perfect example of the "pro-palestine" bozo movement of losers and castaway scum.

Wasting time reading a word of his kremlin supplied lies is an utter waste of time, literally nothing this bozo spouts is in any way connected to reality

^Bet that good old Lloyd didn't see that coming

The US defence secretary says more than 25,000 women and children have been killed in Gaza

OF
Karen Nielsen




During a congressional hearing in the United States, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said more than 25,000 women and children had been killed in Gaza by Israel since October 7, 2023.

He also said Israel should do more to protect the civilian population.

During the hearing, Lloyd Austin also said that the United States has delivered 21,000 pieces of precision-guided munitions to Israel since the war against Hamas broke out.

Originally Posted by helge

He also said Israel should do more to protect the civilian population.

Originally Posted by helge

United States has delivered 21,000 pieces of precision-guided munitions to Israel

It's the American way. The last thing considered is the obvious .Taking away weapons in the possession of mass killers.