I've taken a little extra time today to research Oct 7, reaching out to regional experts. What I've found doesn't change the nature of the Hamas attack but by piecing together disparate information, it does seem likely that Israel itself killed several hundred people that day. I'll leave it to researchers better placed than me to drill down into the details but suffice to say it's apparently even possible that up to 50% could have been "friendly" fire.
I would only take issue with your statement that the October 7th attacks were worse than anything perpetrated by Israel for at least a decade, and their "sadistic" nature. Initial reports of rape & beheadings of babies have been debunked as far as I can see. It is also debatable how many of the 1200 fatalities can be attributed directly to Hamas and how many to the IDF, for example the destruction of a house full of hostages by an Israeli tank at kibbutz be'eri.
I think if you're talking about massive sudden deaths in the region this century, the Hamas attack must rank right up there. I agree Israel killed a bunch of its own people on Oct 7.
However, despite good reporting on this, I've not yet seen any numbers or estimates. It still seems undeniable that Hamas itself killed several hundred or even 1000+ people, as well as taking 200 hostages.
It'd be really interesting if it turned out Israeli helicopters killed more people than Hamas on that day but until that sort of statistic comes in, I don't think it changes the nature of Hamas' attack.
Sure, it's an important and violent moment. I thought long about it, tried to imagine being a victim or the lover of a victim. Life is unfair, but emotion isn't context. I may not like what Hamas did but I can't rule out doing the same if I were them. I'd already gone through the thought process. I'm a White South African. I cannot deny that Black people needed to blow up shit (even though I struggle with the Magoo's bar bombing versus a government target).
The telling factor about the Hamas versus Israeli self-attack is that the latter refuses to be transparent about it. That gives weight to Israeli's saying their government attacked them. Not to mention Israeli lies about mass rapes and baby beheadings.
The historical nature of the person giving a statement counts towards credibility. So do their current actions.
The bigger context is that extreme religious people, on both sides, are nuts. To have an opinion, I have to focus on what's in front of me, children getting fucked up by bombs that believe they're less than worthy.
I've taken a little extra time today to research Oct 7, reaching out to regional experts. What I've found doesn't change the nature of the Hamas attack but by piecing together disparate information, it does seem likely that Israel itself killed several hundred people that day. I'll leave it to researchers better placed than me to drill down into the details but suffice to say it's apparently even possible that up to 50% could have been "friendly" fire.
Well done Matthew.
I would only take issue with your statement that the October 7th attacks were worse than anything perpetrated by Israel for at least a decade, and their "sadistic" nature. Initial reports of rape & beheadings of babies have been debunked as far as I can see. It is also debatable how many of the 1200 fatalities can be attributed directly to Hamas and how many to the IDF, for example the destruction of a house full of hostages by an Israeli tank at kibbutz be'eri.
Agreed, good article, and have same view. Also agree with Tom. There's enough evidence now that Israel killed a lot of its own people.
Insane religion is another aspect - https://mikehampton.substack.com/p/red-cow-god-war-middle-east-al-aqsa
Of course, Netanyahu doesn't believe that. He's just another sociopathic politician for his own interest.
I think if you're talking about massive sudden deaths in the region this century, the Hamas attack must rank right up there. I agree Israel killed a bunch of its own people on Oct 7.
However, despite good reporting on this, I've not yet seen any numbers or estimates. It still seems undeniable that Hamas itself killed several hundred or even 1000+ people, as well as taking 200 hostages.
It'd be really interesting if it turned out Israeli helicopters killed more people than Hamas on that day but until that sort of statistic comes in, I don't think it changes the nature of Hamas' attack.
https://www.facebook.com/TheWriterWithNoHands/posts/pfbid02j9dWTQeApEkwER3KrwVSQ8pvq2aEXpqDoiRMoqc6FeEwrMRjTPefZYST7diBuxdDl
https://shorturl.at/iFNV3
Sure, it's an important and violent moment. I thought long about it, tried to imagine being a victim or the lover of a victim. Life is unfair, but emotion isn't context. I may not like what Hamas did but I can't rule out doing the same if I were them. I'd already gone through the thought process. I'm a White South African. I cannot deny that Black people needed to blow up shit (even though I struggle with the Magoo's bar bombing versus a government target).
The telling factor about the Hamas versus Israeli self-attack is that the latter refuses to be transparent about it. That gives weight to Israeli's saying their government attacked them. Not to mention Israeli lies about mass rapes and baby beheadings.
The historical nature of the person giving a statement counts towards credibility. So do their current actions.
The bigger context is that extreme religious people, on both sides, are nuts. To have an opinion, I have to focus on what's in front of me, children getting fucked up by bombs that believe they're less than worthy.
PS: Name your url before posting (in Settings at bottom of post during draft process).