Two unilateral cease-fires at the end of a 22-day war in the Gaza Strip will buy another pause of limited duration in the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, but nothing more. There are no bilateral agreements to prevent a resumption of fighting, let alone to resolve the underlying causes of conflict. Israeli officials say they dealt a significant blow to the Hamas military infrastructure and that the leveling of large swaths of Gaza will deter future rocket attacks on Israel. Hamas leaders, emerging from the rubble to resume control of Gaza, declare the organization’s very survival a success; they live to fight another day. Both sides’ claims may be true, yet they are false victories that cost more than 1,300 lives, the vast majority Palestinian civilians, and brought devastation to Gaza. There are no winners without negotiated solutions.
[blockquote] Both sides’ claims may be true, yet they are false victories that cost more than 1,300 lives, the vast majority Palestinian civilians, and brought devastation to Gaza.[/blockquote]
Actually, it looks now like the vast majority were Hamas operatives.
The IDF has so far identified 900 of the dead by name. Of those IDF has identified, at least 750 were Hamas operatives. So at least 750 of 1,300 were Hamas operatives, a minimum of 57% of the deaths. The IDF is estimating that the final count will show 66% of the deaths were gunmen with Hamas or other Palestinian terror factions.
Of course. No military on earth (US included) does more to avoid civilian casualties while doing what they must than the IDF.
I was also intruiged by the statement that “There are no winners without negotiated solutions.” Tell that to the Allies at the conclusion of WWII. For that matter, tell it to the Axis.
Given that Palestinian combatants look, live and dress exactly like noncombatants (and that is by the terrorists’ own design), and that attacks attacks against Israel and its soldiers are launched routinely from supposedly civilian sectors, I will never accept some newspaper’s count of “civilian” casualties in Gaza. The journalist had better be prepared to prove it, and this one is not.
Not sure what “hamas operatives” actually means.
Given that hamas was one of the only organizations on the ground, an “operative” could have been someone who was delivering the mail, or was a secretary, the cook, or just mopped the floor. I’m sure some were active in the military, of course.
HI John Wilkins,
Yes “operatives” is a vague catch-all. Here’s another paragraph from the Jerusalem Post article: