Israel - Palestinian militants launch massive attack, 7 Oct 2023 #2

[DeDee]

Israel Pledges To Block Vital Aid Until Hamas Releases Hostages

The number of people forced from their homes by the airstrikes soared 25% in a day, reaching 423,000 out of a population of 2.3 million, the U.N. said Thursday. Most crowded into U.N.-run schools.

 

[otto]

The same white phosphorus the terrorists used on Israeli civilians?

The comment about white phosphorus has been posted a few times without detail. Until more information is provided, it seems like a remark that is intended to incite fear and anger.

This ... in 2017

"White phosphorus munitions can be used for several purposes on the battlefield: as an obscurant or smoke screen, for signaling and marking, and as an incendiary weapon. US forces are using white phosphorus in both Mosul, in Iraq, and in the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, in Syria."

Iraq/Syria: Danger From US White Phosphorus

The use of artillery-delivered white phosphorus by the United States-led coalition fighting Islamic State (also known as ISIS) forces in Syria and Iraq raises serious questions about the protection of civilians, Human Rights Watch said today.

www.hrw.org

 

[JennieM]

I am devastated for all the Palestinians trapped in Gaza right now. Between Hamas and Israel, they are living hell on earth with no chance of escaping this nightmare. God have mercy on them because no one else will.

 

[Arkay]

It’s a humanitarian catastrophe.

I ask again, whose fault is this?

Every detail emerging about what Hamas did to innocent civilians is worse than the next.

Just one of the examples I saw on (I think it was CNN) today, from a Zaka representative who is responsible for retrieving the bodies to give them a Jewish funeral…

A mother and father, at the dining room table, hands bound behind their backs. Seated across from their little son and daughter, their hands bound, too.
All of them torched to death at the table, forced to watch their own children/their own parents burn to death in front of each other.

Then the evidence shows that Hamas ate the food that was on the table, while the family burned away.

I have been seeing the graphic images of people burned to death in their cars, and so many other graphic horrors, because I want to know the truth.

There would be water and electricity in Gaza today if Hamas had not invaded Israel.

There would be peace if terrorists respected other people, other religions.

Hamas brought this wrath on themselves.

Israel was not told in advance by Hamas that their civilians and soldiers would be gruesomely slaughtered or held as hostages. Gaza was given notice by Israel for civilians to leave.

Israel is not going to go without defending itself as most of the six million Jews in Europe did during the Holocaust.

Never again means NEVER AGAIN.

IMO

 

[JennieM]

2m ago
IDF Spokesperson Jonathan Conricus will deliver a situational update at 7:40am local time, just under an hour from now.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1712675917133475905

Israel-Hamas war live: Israeli military has told 1.1 million in Gaza to move further south in next 24 hours, UN says

UN spokesperson says such a movement would have ‘devastating humanitarian consequences’ as Israel prepares for a ground offensive; Palestinian death toll rises to 1,537, according to Gaza’s health ministry

www.theguardian.com

 

[PommyMommy]

Israel targets Hamas’s labyrinth of tunnels under Gaza​

Israel targets Hamas’s labyrinth of tunnels under Gaza

Palestinian militants are thought to have built hundreds of kilometres of tunnels underneath Gaza.

www.bbc.com

This is a great article with a lot of detail about the tunnels. Thank you for posting it.

A few excerpts:

[...]

It is possible that a cross-border tunnel was used by Hamas militants during last weekend's attacks in Israel, in which at least 1,300 people were killed, most of them civilians, and more than 150 others were taken as hostages. There were reports that a tunnel exit was discovered near the kibbutz of Kfar Aza, where dozens of civilians were massacred.

If that is confirmed, the tunnel would have been built beneath the underground concrete barrier studded with sophisticated anti-tunnel detection sensors which Israel finished installing at the end of 2021.

[...]

"First of all, Hamas has had plenty of time to booby-trap the entire network," she says "They could just let the soldiers enter into the tunnel network and then eventually blow the whole thing up."

"They could kidnap [the soldiers in surprise attacks]. And then you have all the other risks - running out of oxygen, fighting the enemy in one-on-one combat, and rescuing wounded soldiers becomes virtually impossible."

[...]

The Israeli forces will, however, have some ways to mitigate the risks.

According to Colin Clarke, director of research at the Soufan Group security consultancy, these might include sending drones and unmanned vehicles into tunnels to map them and identify booby traps before soldiers clear them.

Warplanes could also drop "bunker busting" bombs, which penetrate deep into the ground before detonating. However, they would pose a risk of collateral damage due to the dense urban terrain.

 

[JennieM]

4:43

UN strongly appeals for evacuation order to be rescinded​

We have more from the UN's statement released to the media in the past hour.

It said the UN "strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation".
Liaison officers in the Israeli military had told UN team leaders in Gaza about the evacuation order. That order also includes all UN staff and those sheltered in UN facilities which includes schools, health centres, and clinics.

The UN Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting on Friday afternoon in a closed consultation format. The US, UK, China, Russia, and France are permanent members of the UN Security Council.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67096916

 

[DeDee]

2m ago
Meanwhile a Hamas official has told Reuters that the relocation warning is “fake propaganda” and has urged Gazans “not to fall for it”, the news agency reports.

Israel-Hamas war live: Israeli military has told 1.1 million in Gaza to move further south in next 24 hours, UN says

UN spokesperson says such a movement would have ‘devastating humanitarian consequences’ as Israel prepares for a ground offensive; Palestinian death toll rises to 1,537, according to Gaza’s health ministry

www.theguardian.com

Good to know. Thank you!

Israeli has been strongly urging those residing in Palestine to flee for Egypt since the first day, iirc. There should have been a steady stream of citizens fleeing Palestine for Egypt for days now.

The mosques in Palestine were targeted by Israel's missiles because it's been reported the enemy, Hamas, was storing weapons inside those mosques.

 

[JennieM]

Good to know. Thank you!

Israeli has been strongly urging those residing in Palestine to flee for Egypt since the first day, iirc. There should have been a steady stream of citizens fleeing Palestine for Egypt for days now.

The mosques in Palestine were targeted by Israel's missiles because it's been reported the enemy, Hamas, was storing weapons inside those mosques.

Egypt was not allowing entry and then the crossing was getting bombed by Israel, all posted upthread.

 

[JennieM]

3m ago
The Israeli military says it is preparing for a possible ground operation in Gaza but that political leadership has not yet decided on one. Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told reporters Thursday that forces “are preparing for a ground maneuver if decided.”

However, the evacuation order, if true, appears to indicate that a ground offensive may be imminent.

The military has invested tremendous resources for such a scenario, the Associated Press reports, even building a training base in its southern desert meant to replicate Gaza’s urban landscape.

Forces operating inside Gaza might have a better chance of killing top Hamas leaders and rescuing hostages, but such an assault all but guarantees far higher casualties on both sides. And it would involve street-by-street battles with Hamas militants who’ve had years to prepare tunnels and traps, AP reports.

Israel-Hamas war live: Israeli military has told 1.1 million in Gaza to move further south in next 24 hours, UN says

UN spokesperson says such a movement would have ‘devastating humanitarian consequences’ as Israel prepares for a ground offensive; Palestinian death toll rises to 1,537, according to Gaza’s health ministry

www.theguardian.com

 

[Friday Fan]

Good to know. Thank you!

Israeli has been strongly urging those residing in Palestine to flee for Egypt since the first day, iirc. There should have been a steady stream of citizens fleeing Palestine for Egypt for days now.

The mosques in Palestine were targeted by Israel's missiles because it's been reported the enemy, Hamas, was storing weapons inside those mosques.

Egypt is refusing them.
Israel is telling them to evacuate to the southern part of Gaza, probably because Israel will be targeting Gaza City etc.

I think it's horrible that Hamas is telling Palestinians that the evacuation order is "fake".
They're gonna be killed.

 

[PommyMommy]

13min ago

Israeli envoy blasts UN over response to IDF warning Gazans to evacuate​

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan tears in into the United Nations over the latter’s response to Israel warning all 1.1 million Palestinians living north of Wadi Gaza to evacuate by midnight on Saturday to the southern Strip.

“The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” a UN spokesperson said earlier. “The United Nations strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation.”

Hitting back, Erdan says, “The UN’s response to Israel’s early warning to the residents of Gaza is a disgrace! For many years, the UN turned a blind eye to the arming of Hamas and its use of civilian populations and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip for murder and for stockpiling its weapons.”

“Now, instead of standing with Israel whose citizens were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists and which still tries to minimize harm to non-combatants, it preaches specifically to Israel,” Erdan says.

“It would be better for the UN to focus now on returning the captives, condemning Hamas and supporting Israel’s right to defend itself,” he adds.

 

[Arkay]

Egypt was not allowing entry and then the crossing was getting bombed by Israel, all posted upthread.

That’s on Egypt, not on Israel.
Israel has to defend itself from further terror coming from Gaza. Egypt is not going to be targeted by Hamas and they know that. They just don’t want to deal with Gazans.

imo

 

[JennieM]

40s ago
White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby has told CNN that the US is “working very hard hour by hour” to make sure that there is a way for Palestinians to leave Gaza safely.

“Whether or not there’s a ground incursion — and I’ll let the Israelis speak to their operations — we want to make sure that there’s a way for people who live in Gaza who want to get out to do it, and to do it safely and quickly, so we’re working on this very, very hard hour by hour,” Kirby said.

“We believe that there should be an opportunity for civilians in Gaza to leave now, yesterday, I mean, immediately.”

Israel-Hamas war live: Israeli military has told 1.1 million in Gaza to move further south in next 24 hours, UN says

UN spokesperson says such a movement would have ‘devastating humanitarian consequences’ as Israel prepares for a ground offensive; Palestinian death toll rises to 1,537, according to Gaza’s health ministry

www.theguardian.com

 

[Kaley Smith]

Until this week, I had NO IDEA so many people around the world hate Jewish folks the way they do.
It's mind-blowing, really.

Oh yes. It makes no sense but has been going on for centuries.

 

[Momoffourboys]

Warning: Graphic content! The recording of her last call, and a video showing Meirav being dragged from her hiding place while her partner is injured. Their families haven't heard from them, and plead: PLEASE SHARE FOR THE WORLD TO SEE Full story - here: https://bit.ly/3tqDnfz

https://x.com/ynetnews/status/1712513973206098124?s=20

 

[Gardenista]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1712683142820090188

 

[JennieM]

I ask again, whose fault is this?

Every detail emerging about what Hamas did to innocent civilians is worse than the next.

Just one of the examples I saw on (I think it was CNN) today, from a Zaka representative who is responsible for retrieving the bodies to give them a Jewish funeral…

A mother and father, at the dining room table, hands bound behind their backs. Seated across from their little son and daughter, their hands bound, too.
All of them torched to death at the table, forced to watch their own children/their own parents burn to death in front of each other.

Then the evidence shows that Hamas ate the food that was on the table, while the family burned away.

I have been seeing the graphic images of people burned to death in their cars, and so many other graphic horrors, because I want to know the truth.

There would be water and electricity in Gaza today if Hamas had not invaded Israel.

There would be peace if terrorists respected other people, other religions.

Hamas brought this wrath on themselves.

Israel was not told in advance by Hamas that their civilians and soldiers would be gruesomely slaughtered or held as hostages. Gaza was given notice by Israel for civilians to leave.

Israel is not going to go without defending itself as most of the six million Jews in Europe did during the Holocaust.

Never again means NEVER AGAIN.

IMO

To leave to go where Arkay? They can’t go anywhere. They are stuck and getting killed.

 

[JennieM]

5m ago
Kirby also told CNN that the US speaking to the Israeli military hourly about the hostages taken by Hamas.

“I can tell you that we are in literally hourly contact with our Israeli counterparts about the hostage situation, we’ve offered expertise and counsel, of course, they know how to do hostage recovery very, very well,” he said.

“We’re mindful of the delicate nature of this hostage situation, because they’re most likely being held somewhere in Gaza. It’s a war zone, it’s a combat zone that greatly complicates efforts to find them and to and to work on their release.”

Israel-Hamas war live: Israeli military has told 1.1 million in Gaza to move further south in next 24 hours, UN says

UN spokesperson says such a movement would have ‘devastating humanitarian consequences’ as Israel prepares for a ground offensive; Palestinian death toll rises to 1,537, according to Gaza’s health ministry

www.theguardian.com

 

[SouthAussie]

Re: the Australian repatriation flights .... Qantas said 900 of their staff have volunteered to work on the flights to get the Aussies out of Israel. They only want 70.

Israel Hamas: Israeli military warns 1.1m Gazans to relocate south: UN

Israel has warned the UN that the 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza should relocate south within 24 hours in what could be a precursor to a ground offensive. Follow updates here.

www.afr.com