• Hamas fighting force reduced by half - US officials
    • Group relying on ambushes, improvised bombs, they say
    • Such tactics could sustain a lengthy insurgency
    • ‘There is no quick fix,’ says Israeli military

WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - Hamas has seen about half its forces wiped out in eight months of war and is relying on hit-and-run insurgent tactics to frustrate Israel’s attempts to take control of Gaza, U.S. and Israeli officials told Reuters. The enclave’s ruling group has been reduced to between 9,000 and 12,000 fighters, according to three senior U.S. officials familiar with battlefield developments, down from American estimates , opens new tab of 20,000-25,000 before the conflict. By contrast, Israel says it has lost almost 300 troops in the Gaza campaign. Hamas fighters are now largely avoiding sustained skirmishes with Israeli forces closing in on the southernmost city of Rafah, instead relying on ambushes and improvised bombs to hit targets often behind enemy lines, one of the officials said.

  • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    They’ve explained themselves so many times and yet you still somehow know better than them what they’re protesting for. Amazing.

    Would you call me antisemitic for saying Israel’s leadership is genocidal?

    • _sideffect@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Please. Most protestors don’t know anything in the USA/Canada and are brainwashed students.

      Look, Israel is in a war. Civilians get killed unfortunately. Some soldiers are acting out of line and doing what they want based on hatred, and they should be held accountable.

      Is Bibi also targeting civilians? Yes and no, it’s hard to say directly.

      Don’t believe everything either side tells you.

          • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Well that’s probably Twitter being shit because it doesn’t work for me either. Basically mehdi Hasan quoting netenyahu, cabinet members, and generals about how they have to kill everyone in Gaza. Referring to amalek, specifically in the case of bibi. If you understand the reference you know how significant that is. He didn’t even bring up any Ben-gvir quotes and he’s the worst of the bunch.

      • Caveman@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Some civilians get killed unfortunately. When you already killed 2% of the population, half of which are children, it’s genocide.

      • Keeponstalin@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Do you want to discuss the over 500 incitements of genocide? When it comes to intent, Israel’s intent has been documented more than most

        Since the commencement of our investigative efforts on October 7th, 2023, Law for Palestine has meticulously amassed a compelling body of evidence exposing the proliferation of incitement to violence and genocidal intent perpetrated by Israeli officials and public figures, against Palestinians. Our documentation encompasses over 500 incitements of violence and genocidal incitement, appearing in the forms of social media posts, television interviews, and official statements from Israeli politicians, army personnel, journalists, and other influential personalities.

        https://law4palestine.org/law-for-palestine-releases-database-with-500-instances-of-israeli-incitement-to-genocide-continuously-updated/

          • Keeponstalin@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Except, it’s not. Look for yourself

            Hamas 1988 Charter and Revised 2017 Charter

            The 1988 Charter, which is certainly unreasonable in its fundamentalism with Sharia Law and is antisemitic, does not call for the extermination of all Jewish People. Hamas wants an end to Israel as an Apartheid State, not an extermination of all Israelis. Under Ahmed Yassin in the 1990’s, truces were offered in exchange for Israeli to withdrawal from Gaza and the West Bank to the 1967 borders. The 2017 Revised charter explicitly accepts a Two-State Solution of the 1967 Borders. Check Article 7 and 13 of the 1988 Charter to see yourself, compare it to Article 20 and 24-26 in the revised charter.

            • secretlyaddictedtolinux@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              I like reading your posts because you are highly intelligent and include sources in them.

              However, I am not sure if these documents mean that they wouldn’t destroy Israel if they could. If all the Jewish adults and children of Israel were on an Island and each Hamas leader had a button that would destroy the island and everyone on it if pressed, I think all the Hamas leaders would probably press their buttons.

              I am also still scared of Sharia law because I am part of the LGBT community and that makes me scared of Muslims because sometimes when they get a majority, Sharia law ensues. I am scared enough that I can’t have rational views on this topic.

              In all honesty, you are one of the smartest and most knowledgeable people posting on here. Have you ever thought of creating a post just putting forward what you personally think should happen in this situation, with specific ideas for the various government leaders to follow, like an actual specific plan for multiple countries to follow that would be politically feasible? And possibly address concerns that people could have and just reply to them in advance so it would be politically feasible?

              Perhaps other people have done this, I don’t know. I’m still too biased to feel like I can have an accurate opinion on this. I know your posts have been more critical that offering suggestions, but I think you are so smart you could actually craft a suggestion on how to solve this whole mess in a politically feasible way that would perhaps appeal to people, laying out specific solutions, time-tables, etc, keeping in mind political feasibility (and addressing concerns of LGBT people and women if you want).

              You seem so smart. Are you a journalist or have a doctorate? I can sense your intelligence is formidable. I am not joking when I am saying that, you seem brilliant to me in the little I’ve read, which doesn’t mean I agree with your positions. A hard part of change is not just convincing people but also political feasibility. I am still very scared of a Muslim or more Muslim word. I don’t honestly think as a LGBT person my rights will be preserved if Muslims become a larger percent of the population. It shouldn’t affect discussions like this, people should have rights no matter what, but it’s hard to sympathize with a group of people who would potentially drop me off a building.

              • Keeponstalin@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                I am an advocate for a Bi-National One-State Solution, where Palestinians and Israelis have equal rights, including right of return. Where Historic Palestine can be a safe haven for all Jewish, Christian, and Islamic people from persecution. A Two-State Solution is no longer viable due to the land grabbing of Israel, that has divided the West Bank into hundreds of isolated enclaves surrounded by military checkpoints and violent settlers.

                I do not think Hamas nor Fatah should govern the Palestinian people, both are corrupt for different reasons. However I don’t think any meaningful change in governance can happen until an end to the Apartheid/Occupation, for the same reason of how Fatah and Hamas are corrupt. A free and fair election cannot happen under an Apartheid State.

                Your fear is understandable, however I think it is misplaced. Anti-LGBT+ is shared between all conservative reactionary governments, regardless of religion. American conservatives are just as anti-LGBT+ as any middle eastern conservatives for the most part. Neither Muslims or Arabs are monolithic, there are still advocates for LGBT+ rights in middle eastern countries. In Palestine, for example, there is ASWAT and JOH. Israel is a little better for LGBT, however there has been some pinkwashing.

                Right now, no Palestinians in the Occupied Territories have rights, neither basic human rights nor civil rights. I’m an advocate for all people to have those kinds of rights, regardless of whether they agree with all my views or not. So, even if the majority of Palestinians are anti-LGBT, I will still advocate for them to have those rights. I will also advocate for LGBT+ rights within Palestine.

                I do have a Bachelor’s in STEM, however I’m not a historian. A year ago I had no idea about the situation in Palestine/Israel, nor the history. The best resource I’ve found by far for extensive research on the history and on-the-ground investigations are New Historians and Human Rights Organizations respectively. Here’s a list of the ones I recommend.

                List of Books by New Historians:

                If you don’t have access to a library or want to view these for free first, they can all be found on the Library Genesis. I believe a few are on audible too

                The Concept of Transfer 1882-1948 - Nur Masalha

                A History of Modern Palestine - Ilan Pappe

                The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine - Ilan Pappe

                The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of the Occupied Territories - Ilan Pappe

                The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine - Rashid Khalidi

                The 1967 Arab-Israeli War: Origins and Consequences - Avi Shlaim

                The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-development - Sara Roy

                New Historian Aricles on One vs. Two State Solution:

                How Avi Shlaim moved from two-state solution to one-state solution

                ‘One state is a game changer’: A conversation with Ilan Pappe

                • secretlyaddictedtolinux@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  I don’t think conservative Christians want to throw gay people off roofs, so although both hate gay people, I don’t think they are equivalent

                  You stated your position, but I have no idea if it’s politically viable

                  I am asking if there a path to have people stop fighting that is politically feasible, not just something that is right according to various beliefs.

                  I don’t really see a plan here on how to change things, just a position. Is your position politically feasible? Would anyone agree to it?

                  I have a hard time reading books because get bored with facts and reading stuff that’s long and don’t like history. I am sure that Palestinian civilians are enduring horrors I can’t totally fathom. I have read enough at this point to know how bad it has been for many civilians there. I believe you are very knowledgeable and you keep supporting your positions with data so you’ve gained enough credibility with me that I take a lot of what you are saying as having a historical basis.

                  • Keeponstalin@lemmy.world
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                    5 months ago

                    Not sure where you’re getting the idea that Christian conservatives don’t want LGBT people dead, because that’s not the reality.

                    How the rise of anti-LGBTQ+ hate and violence is impacting the community

                    Christian Right

                    Similar to Apartheid South Africa, internal and external pressure is necessary. But unlike Apartheid South Africa, Israel is committing Genocide. So significantly more external pressure and hopefully intervention will be necessary to stop the genocide and begin the process of emancipation.

                    Despite the British and American governments classifying the ANC as a terrorist organisation during the 1980s, the growing international criticism of Apartheid, spurred by disruptive resistance in South Africa, and the undermining of the anti-Communist imperative due to the end of the Cold War, also moved those states to finally implement trade sanctions against Apartheid.

                    World politics explainer: the end of Apartheid

                    Again, there are audiobooks available (free with an audible membership too) if you don’t want to physically read. I believe you can find some on Spotify too.

            • _sideffect@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Lol dude, come on, don’t be naive.

              They changed Jews to Zionists only because of the heat they were getting from others.

              Their intent remains the same. They don’t differentiate between the two, because if they did, October 7th would have never happened.

              • Keeponstalin@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                You’re right, their intent is the same, an end to the systemic supremacy and human rights abuses of living under an Apartheid Regime. Hamas began twenty years into the occupation during the first Intifada, with the goal of ending the occupation. Collective punishment has been a deliberate Israeli tactic for decades with the Dahiya doctrine. Violence such as suicide bombings and rockets escalated in response to Israeli enforcement of the occupation and apartheid.

                Israel is the one that intentionally conflates the two in order to deflect from criticizm. When Israel commits war crimes, or human rights abuses, or land grabbing, they are the ones that claim they do so for all Jewish people. When Zionist actions are criticized, they call it antisemitic. The conflation of the two is genuinely antisemitic, as the actions of Israel in no way represent all Jewish people.

                If you don’t want to be naive, I suggest you read the reports by human rights organizations.

                Year before Oct 7 - Jewish Voice for Peace

                2023 is ‘deadliest year’ for Palestinian children say human rights groups (Oct 6th)

                HRW Events of 2022 and HRW Events of 2023

                Reports about how Israel is an Apartheid State:

                Amnesty International Report

                Human Rights Watch Report

                B’TSelem Report with quick Explainer

                • _sideffect@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  Saying Hamas is right in using suicide bombers and murders is beyond apprehensive.

                  And enough with the land grabbing bs. Every two state solution Israel has offered they turn down. Israel is always the first one at the peace table.