Israel orders mass 'evacuation' from Northern Gaza, humanitarian crisis certain to ensue

[Broomstick]

The UN is far from perfect. It is actually a deeply flawed institution. And yet it is more of a international forum than anything that has gone before, it does give a platform to any country that wishes to air a grievance, and it has done some good in the world. In fact, if the only effective thing the UN ever does turns out to be the eradication of smallpox that alone justifies its existence, but it's not the only thing. It is better than nothing, and it's the best we have at the moment. One can only hope that at some point in the future we do even better.

[Elfdart]

Given the nature of war of course there were rapes. The only questions are the number of victims and how violent the rapes were. Anyone asserting no rapes occur in a war are full of shit.

And how much of it was ordered/allowed by their leaders.

Well, there's a leader on one side who is on record condoning/excusing rape:

IDF's chief rabbi-to-be permits raping women in wartime

Col. Eyal Karim, the IDF's intended next chief rabbi, has previously provided misogynistic interpretations of Jewish law that consider female conscription 'utterly forbidden' and permits raping 'attracting Gentile women' as a way to keep up morale; female MKs and women's rights organizations, incensed, call for his appointment to be cancelled.

After those female Knesset members, feminists and women's rights organizations complained, the IDF listened intently...


...and promoted him to Brigadier General.

[Rogue 9]

And this is what is structurally wrong with the UN. First, the only reason that there are any permanent members of the security council at all is because they are the powers that fought and won WWII. But what does that have to do with the here and now, and how did no one realize that was going to bite the UN in the ass decades later? Second, even the US constitution has a clause that the Presidential veto can be overridden by Congress through a large enough vote. How did no one realize that the UN member states need a similar "override the goddamn US" power if the overwhelming majority of the nations of the world think that their reasoning is fucking stupid?

Counterpoint: Such a structure would cause any superpower to simply not join the UN. The U.S., or the Soviet Union for that matter, were not about to sign up to have their militaries directed by a consortium of foreign powers.

[Crazedwraith]

bbc

The Israeli military says it has mistakenly killed three hostages during its campaign in Gaza after they were mis-identified as a "threat".

They were named as Yotam Haim, 28, Samer Talalka, 22, and Alon Shamriz, 26.

The military shared its remorse and said the three were shot by troops operating in Shejaiya, in Gaza's north.

More than 100 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza after being captured in the 7 October attacks on Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Friday's incident was under investigation, and that it "expresses deep remorse over the tragic incident and sends the families its heartfelt condolences".

"Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home," it added.

The three bodies have been returned to Israeli territory, where checks confirmed their identities.

Yotam Haim, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on 7 October, was a musician who loved animals and cooking Italian food.

On the morning of the Hamas attack, he called his family and told them that his house was on fire. When he opened the window for some fresh air, Yotam was kidnapped by Hamas.

Speaking to the BBC before her son's death, his mother said they had messaged each other as they hid in their home shelters - before their connection was lost.

Alon Shamriz was at also Kfar Aza at the time of attack. His family gave permission for him to be named after asking earlier that his identity not be revealed.

Samer Talalka, a Bedouin, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am. An avid motorcycle enthusiast, he loved to travel in the countryside and spend time with friends.

He lived in the town of Hura and worked at a chicken hatchery in the kibbutz. On the morning of 7 October, he was at work. He called his sister after the attack to tell her that he had been injured by gunfire.

His father told local media they lost touch at 07:00 local time on the morning of the attacks. A photograph of him being led through Gaza was shared on Telegram.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called their deaths an "unbearable tragedy".

"Even on this difficult evening, we will bind up our wounds, learn the lessons and continue with a supreme effort to return all our abductees home safely," he said.

White House spokesperson John Kirby said the killings were a "tragic mistake," and that the US did not have "perfect visibility on exactly how this operation unfolded".

More than 100 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza after being captured on 7 October when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages - some of whom were released during a brief truce.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 18,800 people have been killed and 50,000 injured in the enclave so far in the war that followed.

Hen Avigdori, whose wife and daughter were among the released, said he often heard people say hostages could be rescued "by military means."

But "there is no military way" that would bring them back safely, he wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"The conclusion for every person who has both heart and mind is the same: Israel must initiate a deal to bring them back alive and not in coffins."

[Elfdart]

That's what happens when your troops have a "shoot anything that moves/shoot first, ask questions later" mentality. I was reading Robert Leckie's Helmet For My Pillow (his memoir about fighting in the Pacific with the 1st Marines during WW2) a few months back. One thing that really stood out for me is that the one time he used the word coward was in referring to a Marine who had blown away another Marine:

And the Artist. Killed by a cowardly hand. Returning alone from a night patrol, he had leapt the barbed wire guarding the C.P. and been shot in the chest
by the major’s batman, a coward who had not the courage to issue the challenge before he shot. The Artist was dead, a brave man, may he rest in peace.

Trigger-happy troops aren't just cowards, they're a menace to civilians and even their own people. Turning them loose in a bombed-out ghetto leads to pointless massacre after pointless massacre.

[LadyTevar]

It's worse than that. BBC LIVE has these updates:

7:21a
IDF soldier thought hostages were 'terrorists'
The IDF has given more details on how it mistakenly killed three hostages in Gaza on Friday.

An IDF official says one of its soldiers saw the hostages emerging from a building without shirts on, holding a stick with a white cloth on it.

The soldier felt threatened and opened fire, declaring that the men were terrorists, the IDF official says.

Two hostages were killed immediately and one was injured, and ran back into the building.
Then soldiers heard a cry for help in Hebrew, "and immediately the battalion commander issued a ceasefire order", the official adds.

Oh, but DID he issue the ceasefire?

7:26a
Killed hostages were either abandoned or had escaped - IDF
After a cry for help was heard from the third injured hostage, an IDF official says soldiers opened fire again and that hostage also died.

The official says the three hostages had potentially been "abandoned or escaped".

"I'll say very, very clear. This was against our rules of engagement. I repeat, it was against our rules of engagement," the IDF official says.
He says the killings were "very tragic" and a preliminary Investigation is ongoing "at the highest level".

He says lessons have been learned, and "all the rules of engagement are being sent out again to all the forces".

It makes me wonder how many other White Flags on a Stick have been ignored because a soldier "felt threatened".

[Ralin]

It makes me wonder how many other White Flags on a Stick have been ignored because a soldier "felt threatened".

Probably not a lot, assuming you mean in Israel. I expect the Palestinians know better by now.

[LadyTevar]

I would like to know why a Sniper was aiming at people inside a Church.
Correction -- They were not inside the Church Building, but were inside the Church premises.

IDF Sniper Kills Two Women in Gaza Church

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sniper shot and killed two women inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza on Saturday, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees Catholic Churches across Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.

The majority of Christian families inside Gaza have taken refuge inside the parish since the start of the war, the patriarchate said in a statement.

The two women, described as a mother and daughter, were walking to the Sister’s Convent, the patriarchate said. “One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety,” it added.
Seven others were also shot and wounded in the attack.
“No warning was given, no notification was provided,” the statement continued.
“They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the parish, where there are no belligerents.”

The patriarchate said that IDF tanks had also targeted the Convent of the Sisters of Mother Theresa, which houses 54 disabled people and is part of the church’s compound. The building’s generator, its only current source of electricity, as well as its fuel resources, solar panels and water tanks were also destroyed.

IDF rockets had made the convent “uninhabitable,” the statement said.

CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment.

[Gandalf]

I would like to know why a Sniper was aiming at people inside a Church.
Correction -- They were not inside the Church Building, but were inside the Church premises.

Because the church is in Palestine, and had people in it.

[Ralin]

I would like to know why a Sniper was aiming at people inside a Church.

We all know why.

[LadyTevar]

I would like to know why a Sniper was aiming at people inside a Church.

We all know why.

No, Ralin, We Don't Know.
Which is why I asked.
Think about your answer carefully before you post it.

On the radio yesterday, the news said IDF was claiming there had been a "Rocket Launcher" seen at the Church, and implied a rocket was fired from there.
I have major doubts about that claim, as this comes several days AFTER the incident has come to light, and doesn't explain why the sniper shot WOMEN. Surely the sniper could tell the difference between a woman and a man, if only by the clothing they wear?
And, it turned out the sniper shot the first woman (the mother?) and the daughter tried to drag her into safety when the sniper shot the daughter too.

This is going to be a clusterfuck, but it seems to be a trigger for several countries to call for another ceasefire.

[Ralin]

No, Ralin, We Don't Know.
Which is why I asked.
Think about your answer carefully before you post it.

Yes, we do. As another poster spelled out, it was because the church was in Gaza and had people in it. I know it, you know it and everyone else in this thread knows it too.

I have major doubts about that claim, as this comes several days AFTER the incident has come to light, and doesn't explain why the sniper shot WOMEN. Surely the sniper could tell the difference between a woman and a man, if only by the clothing they wear?
And, it turned out the sniper shot the first woman (the mother?) and the daughter tried to drag her into safety when the sniper shot the daughter too.

Huh yeah, it's almost like the sniper didn't care about any of those things and chose to murder them regardless of whether they were any sort of threat because being in Gaza makes them fair game.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Pressure mounts on US ahead of crucial UN vote on Israel

The UN Security Council will once again debate the conflict in Gaza on Tuesday, wrestling with a Resolution which seeks to end the war.

This time, the United Arab Emirates is putting forward a text which would seek an “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities”.

In previous votes the United States, Israel’s closest ally, has wielded its veto because of the lack of condemnation of Hamas or because it wasn’t willing to back a ceasefire.

It has left America isolated - a lone voice against a ceasefire with only the UK abstaining and everyone else voting in favour in the last vote on December 8.

The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a similar resolution, by 153 votes to ten with 23 abstentions.

That decision was not legally binding, although some argue it carries a global moral authority.

The Security Council vote though carries much more legal weight, even if countries often ignore its instructions.

Behind the scenes intense wrangling has gone on over the last 24 hours, to alter the wording of the latest Resolution.

It’s anticipated it may be watered down, perhaps changing “cessation” to “suspension” to create the conditions for more hostages to be released including several Americans.

These linguistic arguments may sound pedantic but they are consequential.

The United States is alert to any wording which may hand a form of victory to Hamas.

When Lord Cameron talked about a “sustainable ceasefire” in the Sunday Times, he was alluding to a future for Gaza which doesn’t include Hamas.

Both the UK and US are keen to ensure a ceasefire isn’t turned into a propaganda victory for Hamas, with a continued ability to fire rockets at Israel and with much of its senior leadership still in place.

Many other countries are pushing to end the violence as quickly as possible before the death toll rises further.

While the vote in New York will be watched closely, the real restraint on Israel’s ability to wage this war comes from Washington.

The tone of the Biden Administration’s comments has shifted over the 73 days of the war.

Now each briefing is laced with mentions that Israel must transition to a more surgical phase of the conflict to minimise civilian casualties and an emphasis on a more targeted campaign.

Contrast that language, with the steadfast support two months ago and you get a sense of how the White House thinking has evolved in the face of a horrifying number of civilian casualties in Gaza.

Make no mistake, America still has Israel’s back; but it is now whispering a consistent message of restraint in her ear.

Has anyone considered that Israel will simply ignore any resolution passed by the UN?

[bilateralrope]

Flooding Hamas tunnels with seawater risks ‘ruining basic life in Gaza’, says expert

Flooding Hamas tunnels with seawater risks ‘ruining basic life in Gaza’, says expert

Damien Gayle and Nina Lakhani
Sat 23 Dec 2023 06.00 GMT

A potential plan by Israel to flood the Hamas tunnel network with seawater risks “ruining the basic conditions for life in Gaza”, one of the elements of the crime of genocide, a senior hydrologist has told the Guardian.

Environmental experts have warned the strategy – which Israel has yet to commit to – risks causing an ecological catastrophe that will leave Gaza with no drinkable water and devastate what little agriculture is possible in the 141 sq mile territory.

The UN special rapporteur for the right to water, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, compared it to the legend of Romans’ salting of the fields of Carthage to render uninhabitable the territory of their ancient rival. The rapporteur for human rights and the environment, David Boyd, said damaging Gaza’s sole water supply would be “catastrophic” for the environment and human rights.

Media reports, photographs and satellite imagery suggest the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have set up pumps at al-Shati refugee camp on the eastern coastline of the Gaza strip, which they could use to pump millions of gallons of seawater into the tunnels used by the militant group.

Israeli soldiers reportedly began trialling pumping seawater into the subterranean network last week, in an effort to drive Hamas’s militants above ground and deny them a significant strategic tool.

The environmental consequences could be far-reaching. According to a study from the US military academy West Point, there were 1,300 tunnels stretching over 310 miles (500km) in Gaza at the start of the war in October. It has been estimated it would take 1.5m cubic metres of water to completely fill them.

Mark Zeitoun, director of the Geneva Water Hub and professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute, said seawater pumped into the hundreds of kilometres of tunnels crisscrossing the porous, sandy soil of Gaza would inevitably seep into the aquifer that its 2.3 million residents rely on for about 85% of their water.

Zeitoun, who has worked as a water engineer for the UN in the occupied Palestinian territories, said the aquifer was already badly contaminated from wastewater and from seawater infiltration caused by years of overabstraction.

“If you add more seawater directly, right on through the sand into the aquifer, it’s not going to turn a top-quality resource into a vulnerable resource, it will turn a vulnerable resource into a catastrophic one,” Zeitoun said.

He said the contamination would be such that current neighbourhood-level reverse osmosis desalination methods used by Palestinians in Gaza to treat their water would no longer be feasible.

“It would ruin the conditions of life of everyone in Gaza,” he said. “I say the conditions of life because I think that’s one of the elements of genocide within the UN convention, the partial or complete physical destruction of the conditions necessary for life of any people.

“Flooding the freshwater aquifer with seawater would go against every norm humanity has ever developed, including the environment aspects of international humanitarian law/rules of war and the recent principles on the protection of environment in relation to armed conflict and all the progress made towards criminalising harm to the natural environment: ecocide.”

Wim Zwijnenberg, a researcher for the Dutch NGO Pax for Peace, who investigates the environmental impacts of war, warned of additional dangers. “We don’t know what’s stored in the tunnels,” he said.

“There are reports floating around, which are not verified, but quoted by some sources [that] around 20,000 gallons of fuel is stored in the tunnels. So you have all those kinds of hydrocarbons that can potentially also affect the soil and get into the aquifer and groundwater.”

Flooding the tunnels would also pose risks for the integrity of the ground on which the communities of Gaza, the world’s most densely populated territory, are built, Zwijnenberg warned. If they were to collapse beneath built-up areas, that could bring whatever buildings remain above them down as well.

If implemented in full, the IDF’s tunnel-flooding plan would be the latest move in a long history of Israel’s targeting of Palestinian water supplies. Even before the damage to water infrastructure caused by the latest bombardment of Gaza, supplies were precarious for people in the territory and in the West Bank, said Hadeel Ikhmais, the head of the climate change office at the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority.

In the West Bank, Palestinians have no access to surface water, and must buy water from the Israelis. Israeli settlers and soldiers attacked water supplies in the West Bank about three times a month between January 2022 and mid-2023.

In Gaza, the groundwater aquifer is not recharging sufficiently to cope with demand due to a rising population and climate impacts including drought and higher temperatures. In the latest war, desalination plants, water harvesting and water treatment infrastructure have been targeted, leading to waste being discharged into the sea.

“The disposal of wastewater into the sea makes it much more challenging to desalinate. By targeting water supplies, Israel is trying to make Gaza unliveable for Palestinians,” Ikhmais said.

The UN Environment Programme said it had seen reports of Israel beginning to pump water into Gaza’s tunnels. Responding to the Guardian, a spokesperson gave a similar assessment of the potential effects.

“The coastal aquifer, an underground natural reservoir which runs from the Carmel mountain range in the north to the Sinai peninsula in the south, and the already fragile ecosystem of Gaza must be protected, so there is no impact on agriculture, industry and the environment, and so that people can use the groundwater safely,” the spokesperson said.

“Any method used by the warring parties during the conflict must take all precautions not to harm civilians, including impacting access to water and food resources.”

The Israeli government and IDF did not respond to requests for comment.

Now I'm thinking that flooding the tunnels isn't just about stopping Hamas from using them.

[madd0c0t0r2]

Flooding Hamas tunnels with seawater risks ‘ruining basic life in Gaza’, says expert

Flooding Hamas tunnels with seawater risks ‘ruining basic life in Gaza’, says expert

Damien Gayle and Nina Lakhani
Sat 23 Dec 2023 06.00 GMT
.

In the West Bank, Palestinians have no access to surface water, and must buy water from the Israelis. Israeli settlers and soldiers attacked water supplies in the West Bank about three times a month between January 2022 and mid-2023.

In Gaza, the groundwater aquifer is not recharging sufficiently to cope with demand due to a rising population and climate impacts including drought and higher temperatures. In the latest war, desalination plants, water harvesting and water treatment infrastructure have been targeted, leading to waste being discharged into the sea.

“The disposal of wastewater into the sea makes it much more challenging to desalinate. By targeting water supplies, Israel is trying to make Gaza unliveable

Now I'm thinking that flooding the tunnels isn't just about stopping Hamas from using them.

Pity the Israelis blew up the desalination plants. They could be paying to flood the tunnels with fresh water instead!

It's like the other strategies of mass bombing to eliminate urban cover. It's a military tactic that happens to be cheap, protect Israeli lives, and increase pressure on Gazans to leave the strip, thereby reducing Hamas's long term strength.
Never mind the civilian cost when you don't believe there are civilians, just accomplices.

[Zaune]

Now I'm thinking that flooding the tunnels isn't just about stopping Hamas from using them.

Very likely. But you'd think they'd give some thought to leaving the land somewhat usable if they want to formally annex it...

Then again, Likud will probably find some way to blame Hamas for that as well.

[bilateralrope]

Israel hits Bethlehem in Christmas raids on occupied West Bank

Dozens have been arrested as Israeli forces stormed Jenin and areas around Nablus.

25 Dec 2023

Christmas day in the occupied West Bank began with an attack on the Jenin refugee camp and several arrests.

The raid on Monday morning followed several others across the territory, which saw dozens of arrests and the shooting in the neck of a 17-year-old boy. Among towns hit was Bethlehem.

Jenin, commonly viewed as a symbol of Palestinian resistance to occupation, has been repeatedly targeted by Israeli forces since its war with Hamas in Gaza began on October 7.

On Monday, the Jenin-based Freedom Theatre, a popular symbol of peace and hope that was recently raided and vandalised by Israeli soldiers, described how Israeli forces lit up the sky “with flare bombs” whilst raiding the camp.

Reporting from the Jenin refugee camp, Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan said that the Israeli army raided at least 10 houses saying they were looking for Palestinians to arrest. However, no detentions were made.

“Israeli forces did call for Palestinian fighters to come out and give themselves up but that didn’t happen either. Residents are telling us that this is simply a campaign of harassment,” Khan said.

“Jenin refugee camp is now the most raided camp in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli forces are destroying any symbol of resistance or nationalism in the camp.”

While the raids in the camp and Jenin region have now reportedly ended, at least nine young men were arrested in the al-Jalama village, northeast of Jenin.

Regions in and near Nablus, Jericho, Ramallah and Bethlehem – which Christians believe is the birthplace of Jesus Christ – were also raided overnight by Israeli forces, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut reported.

In the village of Burqa, northwest of the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces arrested at least 20 people, including senior citizens.

Moreover, Palestinian news agency Wafa said that a 17-year-old boy was injured after he was hit in the neck when Israeli forces fired live ammunition during a raid in the town of Aqaba, north of Tubas.

Wafa reported that Israeli forces also arrested another resident of Tubas before withdrawing from the town.

Increased violence in the occupied West Bank

The West Bank has seen surging violence and arrests in parallel to Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip which has killed more than 20,000 Palestinians.

Israel says it is targeting Hamas in Gaza, but the violence in the West Bank is taking place despite Hamas having limited presence in the territory.

Israeli incursions into the West Bank have killed at least 303 Palestinians since October 7.

In addition to the activities of Israel’s military, attacks by Israeli settlers are also on the rise.

At least 700,000 Israeli settlers live in illegal, fortified, Jewish-only settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the majority of which were built either entirely or partially on private Palestinian land.

Attacks, which have increased exponentially over the past three months, include shootings, stabbings, rock throwing and beatings, as well as arson and serious damage to homes, vehicles and agricultural land.

The United Nations noted that “in nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers”.

Rights groups, Palestinians, and some in the international community have slammed Israel for not doing enough to stop settler violence.

Earlier this month, countries like Belgium and the United States announced they would impose visa restrictions on “extremist” Israeli settlers involved in undermining peace, security or stability in the occupied West Bank.

At a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government ratified a decision to assign $21m to support new settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Did they forget which religion their allies follow ?

[Gandalf]

Did they forget which religion their allies follow ?

Why does that matter?

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Israel readies for war on 7 fronts as attacks recorded in neighbouring countries

Israel has warned they are in a war on seven fronts as attacks recorded in a handful of neighbouring countries in the last 48 hours spark fears of the conflict escalating to the wider region.

In an address to the Israeli government on Tuesday, Yoav Gallant, the country’s defence minister and one of only three members of its war cabinet, said they were coming under attack from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, Iraq, Yemen and Iran.

“We are in a multifront war and coming under attack from seven theatres,” he said, before listing them all.

Without specifying, he added that they were taking action on six of the fronts.

His comments came as explosions were recorded off the coast of Yemen, presumed to be an attack by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, and missiles were fired into Israel by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon.

The British Maritime Authority said on Tuesday that missiles had been sighted off the coast of Yemen, near Houthi positions, and advised vessels travelling through the Red Sea to transit with caution. They said they had also seen multiple explosions in the area throughout the day, though there were no casualties.

The reported incidents come a week after the United States announced a multinational maritime security initiative in the Red Sea in response to attacks on vessels by Yemen’s Houthis.

The Iranian-backed Houthi militia has been attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea since October, a campaign the group says is in solidarity with Palestinians besieged by Israel in Gaza.

Israel’s military said that, more than a thousand miles directly north, southern Lebanese forces had hit a church and injured a civilian after an exchange of missiles across the border.

They accused Iranian-backed Hezbollah of deliberately firing at Israeli civilian and religious sites after a Greek Orthodox church was struck on Tuesday.

There were an additional two attacks recorded in northeastern Egypt, close to the southern Israel and Gaza borders, and on the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, India. There were no casualties in either attack and it remains unclear who was behind them.

On Monday, meanwhile, a watchdog said an Israeli airstrike in Syria killed an Iranian general, while US warplanes hit Iranian-backed militias in Iraq which had wounded American soldiers in drone strikes. Both drone attacks led to vows of revenge.

Within Gaza, Israel continued its bombardment of the enclave as part of its goal to destroy Hamas, another Iranian-backed group that launched the deadly attack on Israeli soil on 7 October that killed 1,140 people and led to 240 people being taken hostage.

More than 20,900 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s retaliatory aerial bombardment and subsequent ground invasion of Gaza, according to the local, Hamas-run health ministry. More than 240 were killed in the last 24 hours, the ministry added.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces bombed Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza and issued orders telling residents to evacuate the area.

With Israeli forces now spread throughout the enclave and bombing all corners of it, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Palestinians to find somewhere to shelter.

The United Nations said they were gravely concerned about the ongoing Israeli bombardment and the recent focus on central Gaza, having spent months fighting in the north and south.

Despite international pressure for a ceasefire and US calls for a reduction in civilian casualties, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the fighting “isn’t close to finished”.

An Israeli move into central Gaza – what a top Israeli foreign official said amounts to a “transition from the second to the third stage” – further shrinks the area into which Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been forced to squeeze.

Already more than 85 percent of the population has been driven from their homes.

The Israeli military issued an order on Tuesday calling on residents to evacuate a belt of territory the width of central Gaza, urging them to move to Deir al-Balah, a small city nearby.

But Deir al-Balah and Rafah, another small strip of land in the far south on the Egyptian border, have been overwhelmed with displaced people, even as Israel bombards them.

The UN Security Council last week called for the immediate speeding up of aid deliveries to Gaza but there has been little concrete sign of a change. The UN says it struggles to distribute aid because many areas are cut off by fighting.

UN officials have now said a quarter of Gaza’s population is starving under Israel’s siege.

Israel blames Hamas for the high civilian death toll and humanitarian issues in Gaza, citing the militants’ use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel also says it has killed thousands of Hamas militants, without presenting evidence.

[Zaune]

The Israeli government has fucked around, and now everyone in the region is going to find out.

Nothing good can come of this.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Is it just me or is it looking like another Six Day War scenario?

[Solauren]

Is it just me or is it looking like another Six Day War scenario?

I doubt it would be that short this time. How long has it been since the last fight between Israel and it's neighbors? 2006 with Lebanon, and roughly 50 years with the other neighbors?

And this time, there is a fair chance of being able to show that Israel caused the escalation beyond it's own borders? With what Israel is doing essentially streaming in real time, rather then being second hand reported and then confirmed later?

I don't think it will only last 6 days without serious outside intervention.

[Ralin]

I don't think it will only last 6 days without serious outside intervention.

You mean like a US carrier group stationed in the area just in case?

[Solauren]

Unless that carrier group is ordered into combat against Israel's neighbours, it means jack shit.

I don't see that happening unless things turn massively against Israel.

Why?

Israel has basically attacked it's neighbors without proven provocation. Ordering the carrier group to assist Israel, under those circumstances, is the same as the US declaring war on those same countries without provocation.

Right now, even with Hamas having started this with their missile barrage, we have pro-Hamas anti-Israel protests in most of Europe, and other parts of North America. The US moves in and supports Israel in a military capacity, and we'll have larger scale anti-US, pro-Middle East protests, that will probably turned very violent. Also, declaring war on gas suppliers, will cause another massive hike in gas costs.

And causing all that, at the start of an Election Year? With Trump and co just looking for any source of Ammo?

I can't see that carrier group doing anything but sitting there unless it takes direct fire.

[Ralin]

Unless that carrier group is ordered into combat against Israel's neighbours, it means jack shit.

The fuck do you think it's there for?

Israel has basically attacked it's neighbors without proven provocation. Ordering the carrier group to assist Israel, under those circumstances, is the same as the US declaring war on those same countries without provocation.

Or a great way to get some or all of them to back down once the writing is on the wall.

Right now, even with Hamas having started this with their missile barrage, we have pro-Hamas anti-Israel protests in most of Europe, and other parts of North America. The US moves in and supports Israel in a military capacity, and we'll have larger scale anti-US, pro-Middle East protests, that will probably turned very violent.

International and domestic protests do not have a good history of stopping US military interventions in this region.

Also, declaring war on gas suppliers, will cause another massive hike in gas costs.

Everything is fucked economically anyway.

And causing all that, at the start of an Election Year? With Trump and co just looking for any source of Ammo?

One, you're making some very questionable assumptions about whether backing Israel to the hilt would cost Biden and company more votes than it would win them.

Two, Biden is a Zionist. He'll back Israel even when it's counterproductive to his other goals because of that. It's really that simple.