I'm sorry, but I don't accept a statement by "a [single, un-named} military official" as conclusive, without independent verification.

Journalists must refrain from reporting unverified facts. But the contemporary online news business forces them to deliver their "breaking news" earlier than competitors. If they would take the time to adhere to established journalistic standards they would be wiped from the "market". So, the reader is responsible to evaluate reports, to filter facts from nonsense.

Add the instant photo "evidence" and rumours posted in social media and you get the information mess we are in. All kinds of pundits are misusing such rumours, photos, and 'single' un-named or even secret (remember "Curveball"?) sources for their propaganda. How to get out of this mess?

I assume there were the same problems a 100...150 years ago with all kinds of newspapers. Back then rules (press laws) were put into force to suppress fake news, lies, and one-sided propaganda, at least in the liberal, democratic countries. In the autocratic sphere just "The Truth" was published (in Russian: "Pravda" - title of the official Communist newspaper).

Even if it comes to verified facts... What's the meaning of facts in this assymmetric war? Does Israel know every Hamas and Hezbollah member by name? Does membership proofs 'terrorist'? Hezbollah is a broadly based organization: terrorists, unofficial "army", social aid, bank, real estate business, political party. How do you draw the line between terrorists, combatants, and civilians in a transparent way and in accordance with international law? That's impossible. Nevertheless, the international community must demand this daily... from all warring parties... and in all ongoing wars... also in those in which Israel has no part (IS, Syria, Southern Sudan, Myanmar, ...)

In Lebanon, I see a great responsibility on the part of the UN, especially those commanding the decades-long UNIFIL mission, who fundamentally failed in their mandate. Consequences: none.

I'm sorry, but I don't accept a statement by "a [single, un-named} military official" as conclusive, without independent verification.

In hostage situations, it is SOP to secure everybody within the area or space that is being secured.

For an event that I am sure you remember, look up accounts of the Iranian Embassy siege, and you will find all hostages and terrorists were secured and held on the ground in the Embassy garden, including PC Lock who was in uniform. All hostages are secured because of Stockholm syndrome, remember Patricia Hearst.

I'm fine with that - it's right and proper that everyone in the general vicinity is questioned, under conditions of security appropriate to the alleged crime. The same thing happens after every aircraft hijack, every arena bombing, the mass coordinated attacks in Paris a few years back, and so on.

But everything you and I remember from those sort of events is subject to full scrutiny after the event, by a full trial of surviving perpetrators, an inquest, or even a full public enquiry.

Your quoted source goes on to say:

Gaza health officials and Hamas have denied any militant presence at the hospital, which Israeli forces stormed on Friday and left on Saturday.
"The soldiers apprehended approximately 100 terrorists from the compound, including terrorists who attempted to escape during the evacuation of civilians. Inside the hospital, they found weapons, terror funds, and intelligence documents," the military said.

It's the absolute certainty, without even the display of the claimed weapons, a mere two or three days after the raid, that worries me. Assertion is not proof.

If it was an isolated event, as in the Iranian Embassy, then an official inquiry can be conducted. But in a war zone against an organisation, that the UK government in Nov 21 declared in its entirety, that Hamas is a terrorist organisation, you are not going to get a rapid independent report.

Neither Hamas, Hezbollah or the Israeli government are fit for their purpose, but lying Adolf Benji's mob is the worse of the 3 and actually fermented what happened on Oct.7 through its own actions and policies while it's far past time for the U.S. (and some others) to wake up to that fact and to replace those constant warnings with stiff actions against this thieving genocidal mob so that we can have peace and to stop the slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent people.

US warns Israel over Gaza aid as deadline nears.

Israel must immediately address the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in Gaza, the US envoy to the UN has warned, as the deadline approaches to improve the flow of aid or face cuts to American military assistance.

“Israel’s words must be matched by action on the ground,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield said. “Right now, that is not happening.”

The US has given its ally until 12 November to "surge" all assistance, with a minimum of 350 lorries entering Gaza daily. But the UN says only 10% of that number have crossed each day on average since then......

Even members of Adolf Benji's mob can't get their lies straight.

Oct 7 was a heinous desperate series of atrocities spewed forth by Hamas. Unspeakably so.

How else are Iran, Russia, Hamas, Hezbollah, the complicit UN-whatever, all to be neutered such that there can be the beginnings of some hope for peace to replace their ongoing forever forment of hate.


Workable answers onna postcard?

Also note that Trump has no answers other than to sacrifice the world to deadly despots...


Meanwhile,

Be Excellent to All,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Oct 7 was a heinous desperate series of atrocities spewed forth by Hamas. Unspeakably so.

Remember Benji's deliberate leaks to Hamas of exactly the information needed to plan an operation and Benji's withdrawal of security forces to facilitate an operation. A false flag excuse to genocide.

Yes Hamas took the bait.

Do you have reliable links to confirm that claim?


All in our deadly political world...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

You seriously think Hamas had enough operatives penetrate Israel and report back with enough detailed information to plan that attack? I think you grant them more sophistication than the Israel security service which seemed to struggle in the aftermath to have any information.

So... Nothing more than fake news and wild supposition then.


Note the very real facts that Hamas are supported by Iran and Russia and with the full state intelligence from those two bad actors...

And the rest was gruesome deadly opportunism to torture, kill, and create yet more hate...


All in a very deadly game of politics...

Instead:

Be Excellent to one another,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

It was only after the Hamas attack that Russia favored Hamas over Israel, and also because Israel weapons were going into Ukraine.

There are a lot of Russian Jews, so they aren't going to go crazy for the Arabs that killed them last time they went in.

As to Iran, they can't seem to hit targets in Israel so I don't think their secret service has are real intel or their bombs would find their targets.

You seriously think Hamas had enough operatives penetrate Israel and report back with enough detailed information to plan that attack? I think you grant them more sophistication than the Israel security service which seemed to struggle in the aftermath to have any information.

Do you know how many Palestinians worked in Israel before October 7th and commuted to work every day? 200,000! Many worked in care facilities, agriculture, construction... everywhere, also in Kibuzzim near Gaza and border towns like Sderot...

Hamas definitely had more than enough 'operatives' and informants who knew the targets of Oct 7th in detail from own knowledge. Every terror commando on that day was provided with detailed maps, satellite photos and orders what to attack first. This raid was preplanned by military experts a long time before. Mullahs decided almost everything for Hezbollah in Lebanon... But you deny they carried out the planning for Hamas before the Oct 7th raid and provided intelligence? Hamas bosses were frequent state guests in Tehran. The Mullahs publicly confessed to offer unconditional support for Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.

But Netanyahu is to blame for everything. Of course, you can see it that way. I see it differently.

It was only after the Hamas attack that Russia favored Hamas over Israel, and also because Israel weapons were going into Ukraine.

Seriously? The USSR as well as Russia was arming Arab regimes and Arab terrorist groups to the teeth since at least 60 years. After Oct 7th Israel urgently needed Russia's consent to stop Hezbollah's arms transports in Syria (to prevent mistakes between IDF and Russian Airforce in Syria); the corridor to Lebanon. That's also why Israel in Feb 2022 refrained from providing Ukraine with weapons, drones or other military goods and rejected to break up relations with Russia; against urgent demands from Western countries. Still today many daily flights connect Tel Aviv and Moscow. Israel only seems to slowly change course due to the fact that Russians Putin did not stopped military support for Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas after Oct 7th.

So you have no problems with Adolf Benji increasing his support of illegal, murdering and land thieving terrorist settlers each time he is reelected as well as his current outright slaughter and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians and his heavy restrictions on what the media can and cannot report on?

And for some balance:

What of Hamas and their total control of the the Press under threat of death?...

And of the extremes of Hamas operatives with suicide vests deliberately getting arrested or otherwise rounded up to gain their supposed martyrdom, whilst killing as many others all around them, including their own families...?


All in a crazy deadly political world...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Over 100 staff accuse BBC of bias in coverage of Israel’s war in Gaza.

The BBC has been accused by more than 100 of its staff of giving Israel favourable coverage in its reporting of the war on Gaza and criticised its lack of “accurate evidence-based journalism”.

A letter sent to the broadcaster’s director general, Tim Davie, and CEO Deborah Turness on Friday said: “Basic journalistic tenets have been lacking when it comes to holding Israel to account for its actions.”

First reported by The Independent newspaper on Friday, the signatories included more than 100 anonymous BBC staff and more than 200 from the media industry, as well as historians, actors, academics and politicians.

“The consequences of inadequate coverage are significant. Every television report, article and radio interview that has failed to robustly challenge Israeli claims has systematically dehumanised Palestinians,” the letter said.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 43,259 Palestinians and wounded 101,827 since October 7, 2023. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive.

The signatories called on the BBC to implement editorial commitments including “reiterating that Israel does not give external journalists access to Gaza; making it clear when there is insufficient evidence to back up Israeli claims; making clear where Israel is the perpetrator in article headlines; including regular historical context predating October 2023; and robustly challenging Israeli government and military representatives in all interviews”......

So you have no problems with Adolf Benji increasing his support of illegal, murdering and land thieving terrorist settlers each time he is reelected as well as his current outright slaughter and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians and his heavy restrictions on what the media can and cannot report on?

I already explained my position on West Bank settlers...

(But I also remember the last Palestinian political step to end the occupation. They refrained from accepting 100% of Gaza, 97% of West Bank, remaining 3% of land in Israel (along West Bank) of their choice, plus East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state. Arafat left without signing this long time negotiated treaty. President Clinton just recently mentioned this fact again.)

Tens of thousands of killed 'innocent' Palestinians also had been Hamas terrorists. I'm not denying the fact that another tens of thousands civilians died, more than Hamas fighters. The same could be observed in Afghanistan or Iraq (e.g. liberation of Mossul from IS occupation) before. I missed the public outcry against the US or Britain or the (democratic) Iraqi government's slaughtering of hundreds of thousands Iraqis and Afghans.

The Al Jazeera position, which is the Hamas position, calls all Palestinian victims 'innocents' which is misleading. As to media restrictions: There can't be free access to the press in active warzones. A responsible government had to retreat their forces before; or would be faced with dozens of killed journalists. Is any journalist able to report independently from Southern Lebanon, from Iran, or embedded in Gaza, within opponents of Israel? No, there isn't. I can't hear public criticism of this fact.

I also miss any criticism on the Hamas information policy; their own 'journalists' (proudly wearing blue ballistic vests stating: "PRESS") reporting BS all day. No, it's always Israel which is misdoing, of course 'breaking all international laws', while there's no need to criticise the other sides's actions in war. All doves... while Israel's government is bunch of warmongering hawks. That's a projection detached from reality.

It is the old Russian method: Repeat an outright lie just frequently enough and the public will start believing it.

Israel is expected to live up to the highest moral and ethical standards, here: to carry out war operations without civilian casualties; or better still, not to defend itself by military means at all, instead to silently endure any cruelty or pogrom (as Jews did in the past). Meanwhile, Islamist terrorists of all stripes, the poster boys and secret heroes of the '68 generation of western leftists, have carte blanche to commit unspeakable crimes with impunity (and above all, without being criticised). It goes on... In the 21st century, these splendid 'heroes' are cheered on the streets of western cities in mass gatherings that are soaked with antisemitism and hatred. These modern times are hard to bear. I cannot see that a just peace can ever be achieved this way; rather the opposite: the stronger prevails; the poorest suffer the most... as always... in every war.

On Saturday 26th October, Israel conducted a raid on Iran in response to the Iranian rocket attack on Israel on the 1st October. This raid conducted with over 100 aircraft attacked military and production sites for UAV's and missiles, and yet there were only 5 Iranian deaths.

So how come this same air force, is said to, be responsible for thousands of Palestinian deaths when attacking Hamas in Gaza and Hizballah in Lebanon when they are so accurate.

Could it be that the terrorists are hiding behind the civilian population?

Could it be that the terrorists are hiding behind the civilian population?

Could it be that past bombing raids have destroyed all other structures?

Could it be that the terrorists are hiding behind the civilian population?

Could it be that past bombing raids have destroyed all other structures?

Why did they have to destroy all other structures?

My guess, it was because the terrorists had assets below the civilian structures.