Israel launches air strikes. 400 reported dead.

[pdq]

modelamac wrote:
[quote=Steve G.]
Israel defence minister warns Hamas ‘rules of the game have changed’

Hamas must “understand that the rules of the game have changed”, Israel’s defence minister said, after Israel unleashed its deadliest strikes on Gaza since a ceasefire began in January.

“If it does not immediately release all the hostages, the gates of hell will open, and it will face the full might of the IDF (military) in the air, sea, and on the ground until its complete destruction,” the Israeli defence chief added.

IMHO, this is long overdue. Then the remnants of the population should be shipped off to Iran, since Iran is so willing to give them supplies. Leave their land vacant. They can return in peace.
That should give Syria an idea of the future unless they behave themselves. Israel (and the rest of the world) have been waiting over 50 years for peace in the region
Well, they haven’t been exactly just waiting for peace, having invaded or bombed Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Yemen (among others) in the neighborhood.

HAMAS & HEZBOLLAH & HOUTHI are all just variations of ISIS

Hamas and ISIS are (majority) Sunni; Hezbollah and the Houthis are (majority) Shia.

A little bit like lumping Northern Ireland (majority Protestant) and Ireland (majority Catholic) together during the Troubles.

[SteveG]

I'm sure that you can easily explain exactly why Hamas cannot release all the hostages.

[$tevie]

Lemon Drop wrote:
There are evil governments on this planet right now. In charge of what should be functioning peace-making democracies. Instead bringing death and escalation of violence and injustice.

We are one.

Israel is another.

Yes.

[special]

Steve G. wrote:
I'm sure that you can easily explain exactly why Hamas cannot release all the hostages.

My guess once they release all hostages, they have no leverage left. There will be nothing to stop Netanyahu from razing Gaza.

Hamas was really stupid to start this war. There is no way for them to win.

[pdq]

^this - both lines.

[pdq]

NPR: Why did Israel resume the war in Gaza?

Mediators were holding ceasefire talks with Hamas in the wee hours of the morning Tuesday when the surprise Israeli strikes began, according to a senior Hamas official.

Deception was the point, an Israeli official said.

… What followed was one of the deadliest days of the Gaza war, with more than 400 people killed in nighttime airstrikes on homes, according to Gaza health officials, including five Hamas officials and women and children. Israel said it was targeting Hamas mid-level leaders…

So, 5 “mid-level leaders” out of 400 killed? Hey, you gotta break some eggs…

…Why did Israel break the ceasefire?

"There's no other way to explain it: Israel knowingly violated the cease-fire agreement with Hamas – with American approval – because it didn't want to fully meet the terms it had committed to two months ago," wrote Amos Harel, a defense affairs columnist for the Israel's left-leaning Haaretz newspaper.

… According to the Israel-Hamas agreement, on the 16th day of the ceasefire, the sides were supposed to enter talks regarding the permanent end of the war. Israel refused to hold those talks, as

[pdq]

…and why is this happening? NPR again:

A return to war helps Netanyahu in his battle to stay in power

Netanyahu has a deadline: his government must pass a national budget in two weeks, or face the prospect of his government collapsing, triggering new elections.

Wish we had that kind of system.

Returning to war paved the way for Netanyahu to bring his far-right ally Itamar Ben Gvir back inside the coalition and beef up his governing majority. Ben Gvir had quit because of the January ceasefire with Hamas, and returned Tuesday with the resumption of the war.

The new offensive in Gaza also allowed Netanyahu to distract from an unprecedented move: his announcement this week that he wishes to fire his domestic security chief…

Netanyahu's move to fire him is part of a campaign to blame Israel's security services for failing to thwart the Hamas attack Oct. 7, 2023, and deflect from accusations that Netanyahu himself shoulders responsibility.

…"Netanyahu's true objective appears increasingly clear: a gradual slide toward an authoritarian-style regime, whose survival he will try to secure through perpetual war on multiple fronts," wrote Harel.

…and one more thing…

[pdq]

The system was blinking red prior to Oct 7, and Netanyahu ignored it:

Israel had obtained intelligence of Hamas' battle plans in two iterations, once in 2018 and another in 2022, but the agency did not translate it into an actionable threat. A series of signs in the months leading up to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack was dismissed.

At 1:00 a.m., hours before the attack, the intelligence agency reported Hamas was conducting emergency preparedness — but also saw signs of restraint, and assessed that Hamas was not interested in an escalation at that time.

At 3:03 a.m., the Shin Bet alerted the country's security branches, including the Prime Minister's National Security Council, that several Hamas brigades were activating their networks of cellphones. In a message, the agency said that along with additional signs, "it could point to Hamas offensive activity." Forty-five SIM cards were gradually activated from the evening of Oct. 5 until two hours before the Oct. 7 attack, but agents dismissed it because a similar number of SIM cards had been activated during the same period one year before.

At 4:30 a.m., the Shin Bet chief briefed deputies about the worrying signs, and a team of forces was sent to Israel's south to prepare for a possible infiltration, but it was not sufficient to thwart the large-scale attack.

This, BTW, is from Netanyahu-approved investigations. He is refusing to allow an independent commission, with commission members appointed by their Supreme Court, to be formed, even though there is widespread public support for such a commission.

Netanyahu says that such a commission would be “biased” against him, and blamed (not making this up) “deep-state bureaucrats.”

This mini-me-Trump will be the doom of Israel yet.

[SteveG]

moments ago
IDF says air force downed Yemen missile before it entered Israeli airspace

The military says the missile fired from Yemen was downed by the air force before entering Israeli airspace.

A statement from the Israel Defense Forces says “the sirens were activated in accordance with protocol,” apparently due to concerns of falling debris.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it has received no direct reports of injuries from debris, though medics are treating several people suffering acute anxiety or who were hurt while rushing to shelters.

There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the missile attack, which comes after the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group vowed to resume attacking Israel in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas amid the war in Gaza.

[$tevie]

Netanyahu is a rat bastard. He took a horrible situation and made it worse, to stay out of prison. Like another rat bastard we know.