re: Israel–Hamas War Discussion Thread: News Links On First Page

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The 12 Thai are being released at the request of Iran. Thailand brokered a deal with them.

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I wonder if any government will cite this as proof the Iranians were behind it all, and actually hit them?

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I wonder if any government will cite this as proof the Iranians were behind it all, and actually hit them?

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They didn't need anymore proof. And, no, no one is going to hit Iran over this. They'll continue to kick the shite out of their proxies off and on, though.

Looking at two of the prisoners Hamas got back. One stabbed two Israeli citizens and one stabbed an IDF soldier in the neck.

Pandy assured us that these weren't dangerous individuals and just rock throwers.

Hamas already broke the ceasefire too.

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I mean, once the fighting starts back, won’t the IDF take care of them on the battlefield?

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They'll get killed sooner or later but the reality is they may not actually have a command structure to report to. There may not be any real leadership any longer. Just small groups acting Independently that are probably worried more about being hunted down than bolstering their numbers. Also, the ones they're releasing aren't from Gaza. They're from East Jerusalem and some other places.

The IDF is killing leadership daily. Some of these terrorists are cut off and acting alone.

These teenagers that are being released, they're going to be closely monitored by the Israelis or at least that's the plan. They should be able to do this pretty easily, considering where they're being released to.

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I've reached the point where when I see he's posted something, I just assume it's incorrect and move on.

No point in reading or downvoting or anything.

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You read everyone of them.

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I've reached the point where when I see he's posted something, I just assume it's incorrect and move on.

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Strange.

Chicken has been cooling those of his ilk. Must be entertaining.

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Strange.

Chicken has been cooling those of his ilk. Must be entertaining.

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Are you reading my posts?

Maybe you disagree. Maybe you think it's stupid. Maybe you think alot of things but there's no trolling in it.

For a variety of reasons, I think this swap is a really good thing but I seem to be in the minority.

There's a theme in this thread with a fair number of participants and that theme suggests that anything other than scorched earth and a Dresden style destruction of Gaza and Hamas, and by extension the Palestinians for supporting Hamas is a failure. If hostages are killed in this destruction, then they're killed. That's simply a price that has to be paid.

Well I don't agree. I believe a willingness to selectively concede on some things like this separates the civil from the savage.

There are times when the civilized has to stoop to the level of the savage and get in the gutter with them. Is this one of those times? Well the Israeli Government clearly thinks not. They place enough value on their own people to trade largely inconsequential criminals for innocent children and their mothers. What reasonable person would take issue with this?

Additionally. I'm willing the consider the very real possibility that the Israeli Government (unlike the OT) is privy to intelligence and knowledge that tells them this pause offers no strategic advantage to Hamas at all. It's quite possible that the IDF is confident enough in its ongoing destruction of Hamas and its leadership, that it feels they simply lack the capability to regroup during this pause. After all, so far the destruction of Gaza and Hamas has been utterly profound.

This may very well fall apart and if it does, the Israelis can hopefully walk away saying they did what they could do.

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I believe a willingness to selectively concede on some things like this separates the civil from the savage.

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Its been 6 weeks, every person in Gaza has repeatedly been warned to evacuated certain areas.

If you want civil, Hamas must go. Not just for the Israelis, but for the Palestinian people. Whatever that takes.

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I've done nothing more than agree with Israel on their decision to make this exchange.

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You've pushed the viewpoint that not agreeing with the exchange is somehow being against the return of hostages.

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I agree. I don't take issue with Israel going to war or the way their doing it.

Folks in this thread are sore at me when I've done nothing more than agree with Israel on their decision to make this exchange.

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Yes, agreed, it is plainly obvious (I would think) that Israel should and why they agreed to this exchange.

- PR reasons: can you imagine what would happen if they won't agree to anything?

- Practical: if you can save a life, you safe a life.

- Practical: one of their war aims is to return the hostages, or as many as they can (that's why I don't get the "Israel needs to do more to rescue the hostages" crowd, not counting the families, they did go to war what more do you want and why aren't you bitching about Hamas not releasing them, but I digress..._), and this at least partially achieves that. It's on Hamas that the war will continue to get the rest... and die while they are at it.

- Political: It is their duty to their citizens first and foremost. One of the functions, the reason to exist- at least in a Democracy, is to protect its citizens. Now, they failed at that. So they have a duty to do everything they can to rectify that.

But there are other reasons too, military reasons. And liike us Shin Bet/Mossad are smart enough and capable enough to do so. The difference being we would never brag about it because people (the left) would throw hissy fits about it because of things like "using a cease fire to wage war", etc. Israel will brag about it, eventually, because they want the hostages to know their loss of freedom was avenged and they actually played a part in it. Israel obviously rules the skies, has a technological advantage, and is better at surveillance. Therefore...

- They will track where the hostages emerge from and those places will be added to a target list
- Release will likely be proceeded by a lot of SIGINT (unless Hamas uses runners) giving personnel targets.
- That SIGINT will paint a better picture of the commands/clans operating.
- Can use that to cause friction between the clans.
- Can track the prisoners released
- Can add to the case of using civilian sites as military when the hostages are tracked leaving them.
- Hamas is smart enough to stage them, move them from holding site to release site, which because of the prevalence of Israeli surveillance will give them 2 target.