I described many of them in 2022; here is an updated version of that post.
A large percentage of Gaza rockets fall in Gaza, and many Gazans are killed because of them. I've documented this for years. I've shown how Hamas' own videos show rockets falling short. And there is evidence that sometimes Hamas fires weapons deliberately towards its own people!
This year, even with a dearth of coverage inside Gaza, I identified one likely victim of a jihadist rocket: Yusra Husni Salha, a 67-year old women from Gaza, who was almost certainly killed by a terror rocket that fell short in the yard of the Indonesian Hospital on Saturday, October 7.
And yes, Hamas often keeps weapons in mosques. And schools. And reporters have known for years that Hamas maintains a headquarters in the basement of Shifa Hospital, which happens to be at the hub of major Hamas underground tunnels.
When a family is killed in Gaza, it is very rare that it is an IDF mistake. Most of the time it is because a terrorist operative is in the house - either because he is a member of the family, sometimes it seems because he is using them as human shields. Other times it is because of Hamas rockets falling short. Sometimes it is because the IDF targeted a legitimate target that had a larger cache of explosives than was thought and it caused far more collateral damage than expected.
In the beginning of every war, this one included, Hamas and Islamic Jihad hides the names of most of those killed. They do this to make it look like a larger percentage of the dead are civilians. NGOs like PCHR follow Hamas' instructions and do not list the names of terrorists killed until they are told they may. (No one seems to worry that an NGO that hides the truth might not be exactly reliable.)
Speaking of, the Gaza Health Ministry and the "human rights" NGOs in Gaza (PCHR and Al Mezan) downplay any mention of terrorist casualties and often call terrorists "civilians" when they report the circumstances of those who have died. (Amnesty's obscenely dishonest "Gaza Platform" with statistics from the 2014 war relied on PCHR's initial reports, and as a result it lists more "civilians" than even the UN does. They know they are lying, I've let them know enough times, and they refuse to correct it.)
The media still has no idea what "proportionality" means in the context of international law. They make scorecards of how many have been killed on both sides as if the results are supposed to be "fair," implying that if only more Jews would be killed, then they can all be happy. They haven't done it yet because more Jews have been killed so far, but as soon as things turn around, the game will begin.
The media has never reported that Hamas' interior ministry instructs Gazans to lie to the media, giving detailed instructions.
The media (and human rights groups) also don't understand the principle of distinction, pretending that it means that Israel cannot bomb a high value target if there are civilians around. It can, under proper circumstances.
Then again, the media is also part of the problem. Hamas has almost complete control over the media in Gaza. Citizens who speak freely to media know that they will be punished. Everyone sticks to the Hamas-approved script. International reporters know that they will be kicked out if they say anything not to Hamas' liking. Yet the media hardly ever mentions this, giving a false impression that their reporting is objective.
The media will also ignore most of Hamas' war crimes. Outside the massacre that sparked this war, the media ignores Hamas using ambulances or "press" credentials to transport weapons, using Gazans as human shields, using mosques as weapons depots, shooting from schools- - I once counted 19 different war crimes that Hamas has done in the Gaza wars, but "human rights groups" somehow only notice and denounce one.
Here are some other must-read background info that will make you more knowledgeable than the most prestigious journalists from the New York Times, the BBC and CNN:
* Israel's success in keeping civilian casualties to a minimum in an urban war zone where the military targets are purposefully placed among civilians is unparalleled.
* The decisions as to what Israel targets in Gaza is detailed, lengthy and adheres to international law. The media and Israel haters portray Israel as a spoiled baby who lashes out at anything that moves and I've never seen a serious mainstream media article that describes anything close to the reality that military experts understand.
If the media would miss one or two of these topics, there wouldn't be a problem. They are in the job of simplifying things for readers. But they consistently get basic things wrong, and always in the direction of making Israel look bad.It is no accident.
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