Israel - Palestinian militants launch massive attack, 7 Oct 2023 #6

[Vern]

Part of me didn't want to hear anything these terror-leaders have to say but the interview is quite interesting. The way she skirts around some of the facts which allows him to lie but also tries to hold him to account on others, such as why Hamas consulted nobody else before their atrocities, ' transgressions against civilians' ....' is this part of your ideology?' ...' the last thing the Lebanese need is another war'... ' are you disappointed others haven't risen with you'... ' you are sat in an air conditioned room' ( Suffice to say that he lies throughout)

Yashar is with Huff Post. Clip is a Saudi channel

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715382797555396919

Well, there's the guy displaying the ideology that he, nor Hamas and others, will be satisfied until every Jewish life is wiped out and that Israel ceases to exist.

Golda Meir was right with her famous words; Israel will forever have to remain diligent, prepared and unied in the strength of force to ensure thier continued existence.

Stay strong Israel.

 

[JennieM]

6m ago
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has described the release of two American hostages in Gaza as “a sliver of hope”.

The ICRC helped facilitate the release of Judith and Natalie Raanan by transporting them from Gaza to Israel, it said in a statement.

ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said:

We are extremely relieved that they can be reunited with their family after two weeks of agony.

The organisation said it was ready to visit the remaining hostages and to facilitate any future release, adding that “many people are still desperately waiting for news of their loved ones.”

While held in captivity, hostages must be allowed to receive humanitarian assistance and medical care. They must be given the opportunity to contact their families. Families separated from their loved ones endure agony no matter what side of the divide they are on.

The statement called on all parties to “minimum of humanity even during the worst of war.”

We urgently call for a pause in the fighting and for humanitarian aid and first responders to be allowed in. Every hour that passes without increased assistance means more misery and suffering.

Biden ‘didn’t hear the full question’ on whether Israel should delay Gaza ground assault, White House says – as it happened

White House says US president was only commenting on whether he wanted to see more hostages released

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

2m ago

Emma Graham-Harrison

The Qatari ministry of foreign affairs confirmed its role and said it would continue to broker negotiations with an aim of securing the release of all hostages.

“Today’s breakthrough comes after many days of continuous communication between all the parties involved,” Majid Al-Ansari, Official spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

We will continue our dialogue with both the Israelis and Hamas, and we hope these efforts will lead to the release of all civilian hostages from every nationality, with the ultimate aim of de-escalating the current crisis and restoring peace.

Biden ‘didn’t hear the full question’ on whether Israel should delay Gaza ground assault, White House says – as it happened

White House says US president was only commenting on whether he wanted to see more hostages released

www.theguardian.com

 

[Sincerely]

I recall a statement about some hostages would be released but they would be hostages from other countries and this was before Biden visited. Am I remembering wrong? Maybe I am remembering a statement about those who could leave the area? Anyone remember? I will try to find it but unlikely with so much to read through. Just curious about it.

 

[fred&edna]

“Following mediation by Qatar” (this exactly what the negotiator who..come back to this later when link can be provided)

There's something unsettling about this "mediation".

Using words like mediation and/or negotiation in relation to terrorists?? Not without high prices being paid.

imo

 

[cottonweaver]

Ugh...His strategy is that Palestinian civilians need to die for "their (Hamas's cause)". Yuck. He compares himself to other nations who won wars, USSR, Vietnam, Afghanistan.....

And he called hostages "Prisoners"......Once again, you don't even have a court system. Prisoners, my A__. At least POW's are military.
What did they do wrong beside breathe?

They don't have an army, they're a terrorist group. If they want "liberation", go out and buy freak'n uniforms. Do it the old fashioned way. Act like a nation, not a bunch of terrorist cells. (Yes, I'm being facetious...sorta, but they are a terrorist group, they aren't a country. They're a criminal enterprise) Criminals hide in the shadows and that is what Hamas and terrorists do.

Oh and you don't even live in Gaza!! You ain't no leader, you're a chicken. Real leaders live with their people!

Any half decent interviewer would be able to destroy him. He is a joke, an embarrassment. His performance was like some kind of parody sketch
Anyway, I got the feeling - from her pointed questions - that his actions aren't welcome among the influential in the Arab world

 

[PrairieWind]

There's something unsettling about this "mediation".

Using words like mediation and/or negotiation in relation to terrorists?? Not without high prices being paid.

imo

I agree. From the leaked info right after the raid, the purpose of taking hostages was as bargaining chips to get concessions. Is that actually playing out now? Giving Hamas what they wanted all along.

 

[MyBelle]

Israel admitted to bombing the area. The roads are messed up.

At this time, what you're talking about does not apply. This is about US citizens in Gaza not being allowed to leave.

US Citizens should not be required to be registered by the Govt of Israel. The border is only open to citizens of certain countries. (500 of them American) US Citizens will only be passing through like at an airport and then get on a plane go home. No one is allowed to actually visit Egypt.

Though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called areas in southern Gaza “safe zones” earlier this week, Israeli military spokesman Nir Dinar said Friday: “There are no safe zones.”

Israel says two Americans held hostage by Hamas, a mother and daughter, have been released

Hamas on Friday freed an American woman and her teenage daughter who had been held hostage in Gaza, Israel said.

apnews.com

BBM. That is the deeply humanitarian issue: there are no safe zones. I think behind the protests here is a strong belief that Israel intentionally bombed the road so that it would be impossible to cross.

JMO

 

[PrairieWind]

Any half decent interviewer would be able to destroy him. He is a joke, an embarrassment. His performance was like some kind of parody sketch
Anyway, I got the feeling - from her pointed questions - that his actions aren't welcome among the influential in the Arab world

We can call him a joke, etc. But this is what Hamas is and always has been. I think that now, many in the Arab world are really starting to see this for what it is and how destructive it is, even for other Arabs.

 

[cottonweaver]

Also much easier to support a ceasefire when one is safely ensconed thousands of kilometres away from the area ... and one's nation is not fully surrounded by the enemy who wishes to erradicate your very right to exist anywhere on the planet.

Israel has the right to, and will do what it needs to, to ensure that goal of their enemy is not achieved.

Just saying.

Edit to add:

I'd love them to run that poll again using the following:

London = Israel;
Remainder of the Island = Hamas/Hezbollah/Iran Proxies who have vowed to extinguish "all Londoner's Lives" and erradicate London's existence from the river to the sea ...

Now, how do the votes for a ceasefire turn out in London?

Maybe so but you have to bear in mind that most Londoners, of my age, will have known the threat of terror and terror attacks for many decades.
70s through 90's - IRA terror
noughties - 2020s rather than me rattle them off - am bound to miss loads- here's a list, it's worth looking at

List of terrorist incidents in London - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[cottonweaver]

We can call him a joke, etc. But this is what Hamas is and always has been. I think that now, many in the Arab world are really starting to see this for what it is and how destructive it is, even for other Arabs.

yes it's very exposing isn't it but i didn't realise that everyone was already familiar with his interview performances

 

[Brightchaser47]

We can call him a joke, etc. But this is what Hamas is and always has been. I think that now, many in the Arab world are really starting to see this for what it is and how destructive it is, even for other Arabs.

I certainly hope so.

 

[cottonweaver]

Anyway, I came back to post this re Church of Saint Porphyrius reporting on NBC
You may already have seen it

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715367749206024513

and can WSers verify this is a former member of Congress?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715470077196194068

 

[Arkay]

WATCH: Jewish Major League Baseball players call on fans to stand with Israel

Jewish baseball players join together to call on fans to support Israel and unite against antisemitism.

worldisraelnews.com

Well now I, a Yankees fan, will have to root for the Astros because Bregman did this!

 

[fred&edna]

I couldn't watch all of this but interviewer (sorry I don't know her name... Tara ??) handled this (self censored) quite well. imo

She even says "You know no one believes that"

 

[Ontario Mom]

I'm curious why these two hostages were released. I would expect that babies, and people who need medications, should be at the top of the request list.

I suspect all the non-American families who have loved ones still being held, are curious as well.

My best guess is, it was a political/idealogical strategy, and nothing more.

jmo

 

[Ontario Mom]

Or under threat of their fellow hostages being killed if they report about their captivity in anything other than glowing terms?

I hate to say it but... knowing what these people are capable of, many of the reported hostages could already be deceased anyway. If they were held seperately, there's no way these hostages would know the condition of the others anyway.

 

[JennieM]

'Existential moment' for Hamas - US general​

BBC NewsnightCopyright: BBC Newsnight

Retired US General David Petraeus says this is an "existential moment" for Hamas after the militant group released two US prisoners from Gaza.

Speaking to Newsnight, Petraeus - who was in charge of the US-led coalition forces during the Iraq war - says the release of the two hostages could either be a "wonderful humanitarian gesture" or a ploy by Hamas.

He adds that we may see more hostages released one after another as Hamas tries to buy time.

They know what's coming, he says, referencing the hundreds of thousands of Israeli troops stationed around the besieged enclave, prepared and capable enough to "destroy Hamas".

The retired general also praised Qatar, who helped facilitate the hostage release. Doha, which maintains ties with both Western states and the likes of Hamas and Iran, are "very, very useful" in situations like these, he says.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67165505

 

[SouthAussie]

I wasn't aware of Qatar's huge role in trying to keep communications open in the Middle East. I followed a link that was speaking about Qatar hosting Hamas' Political Bureau ... it led me here.

Hamas Qatar office in spotlight as Gaza war intensifies

The spiralling conflict in Gaza has put Qatar's hosting of a Hamas office under close scrutiny and could force a re-evaluation of ties between the Gulf state and the Palestinian militants, analysts say.

www.france24.com

It is interesting to read about the US-backed background, and the reasons for it. (For those, like me, who didn't know.)


Qatar is home to the largest US military base in the Middle East and Washington backed the small but strategic Gulf state during a four-year blockade by its neighbours led by Saudi Arabia.

The Hamas political bureau was set up in Qatar in the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 amid US fears the Palestinian group might otherwise set up base in Iran or Lebanon, Krieg said.

A Qatari official told AFP that Hamas's political office was "opened in Qatar in 2012 in coordination with the United States government, following a US request to open a communication channel".

He said the United States was "making sure the Qataris can speak to the Iranians and lay out what different operative options are and making sure this doesn't blow up completely".

 

[Ontario Mom]

There's something unsettling about this "mediation".

Using words like mediation and/or negotiation in relation to terrorists?? Not without high prices being paid.

imo

No kidding. So the question begs: what's in it for them?

An American family gets it's loved ones back. Awesome.
And the terrorists get what, exactly?