# Discussion for the Israel-Hamas War: A thread in the Pit **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** israel-hamas-war\ **Created:** [November 5, 2023, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653 "2023-11-05T21:57:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 133
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2641 "2026-04-26T23:41:44Z")
Nope wrong answer. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2642 "2026-04-26T23:45:37Z")
Exactly. The people responsible for the atrocities being and having been committed are the people choosing to commit the atrocities. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2643 "2026-04-26T23:50:34Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > Imagine my supprize when israi behaves just as badly as the terrorists if not, at times, worse. When you say delusional shit like that, coupled with your fundamentally idiotic statements about Gaza having been “destroyed” and “every single person living there” having been “killed, starved, or displaced”, it really reveals how little you know about the conflict. Or how intentionally bad faith you are. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2644 "2026-04-26T23:57:04Z")
Does it really matter whether it is rape or merely torture? Neither is even remotely acceptable behaviour for any human, much less one in a position of authority or in armed combat. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2645 "2026-04-26T23:58:09Z")
These are lies. I don’t think you two mean to lie, but you believe the bullshit Israel feeds you. You should probably stop “showing off” how thoroughly israli propaganda has indeed convinced you of an alternate reality. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2646 "2026-04-27T00:01:40Z")
…Babale is sharing IDF propaganda. Anas Jamal Mahmoud Al-Sharif was NOT a terrorist. The claim that “Al-Sharif, head of a Hamas cell, was responsible for facilitating and advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF forces” is absolute _bullshit_. This is the _entirety_ of Israel’s case against him: (The link looks ‘dodgy’, however it is a direct link from the source that Babale provided which is the Isreal embassy in France) [https://videoidf.azureedge.net/f823e6b8-b83d-42da-ac12-96282159d909](https://videoidf.azureedge.net/f823e6b8-b83d-42da-ac12-96282159d909) Its a spreadsheet, allegedly of Hamas origin that states two things: firstly he was allegedly on the payroll back in 2019, and secondly he was injured (hearing loss during training) back in 2017. There is NO evidence he was involved in the current conflict as anything else other than a journalist. But if (allegedly) serving seven years ago makes you a legitimate target, then _every single Israeli journalist_ is ALSO a legitimate target. And if Israel are targeting “people with TikTok accounts”, the equivalent of killing Jake Paul, Addison Rae or Mr Beast, then those too are _atrocities_ and _war crimes_. There is no “TikTok” exception to international humanitarian law. “Shitting on Israel” is not a capital crime. And one more important thing to note: the reason why Babale only cited evidence for Al-Sharif and no one else is because this screenshot of a spreadsheet is literally the _strongest evidence he has_ to back up his ridiculous claim. This is it. He’s got nothing. Because Israel _is_ systematically targeting and killing journalists. That’s just a fact. Even if we were to concede (which I’m not) that half of the journalists on the list are actually “secret terrorists”, that still means Isreal has targeted and killed over a hundred journalists. What does this have to do with the original OP of this thread? I have no fucking idea. However, Babale, unlike Smapti, has a way of making complete and utter bullshit and lies sound credible. He is disseminating disinformation and propaganda. It’s important to call him out. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2647 "2026-04-27T00:11:23Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > These are lies. Sorry, what are “these”? I looked at the post you replied to and have no idea what “these” are supposed to be. > [@Sylvanz](#): > > . I don’t think you two mean to lie, but you believe the bullshit Israel feeds you. I’m Israeli; I am not being “fed” anything by “Israel”. Israel in fact has a thriving free press, outlets of which are constantly in opposition to one another or to the government; so it’s pretty idiotic to imagine some nefarious (((Israeli))) entity “feeding me lies”. > [@Sylvanz](#): > > You should probably stop “showing off” how thoroughly israli propaganda has indeed convinced you of an alternate reality. What the fuck is “israli”? You’ve used the term in multiple posts now. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2648 "2026-04-27T00:12:26Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > And if Israel are targeting “people with TikTok accounts”, the equivalent of killing Jake Paul, Addison Rae or Mr Beast, then those too are _atrocities_ and _war crimes_ I had no idea that Jake Paul and MrBeast were Hamas snipers! Of course, if you’re not a bad faith piece of shit like banquet buddy, you’re capable of realizing that no one said anything about killing _random people_ with a TikTok account; the argument is that making an Al Jazeera branded account on TikTok doesn’t wipe out your militant Hamas activities and give you immunity like a kid playing base tag. Banquet buddy knows this, of course; there is no one more bad faith then him on this topic. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2649 "2026-04-27T00:15:31Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > Because Israel _is_ systematically targeting and killing journalists. That’s just a fact. At this point, in this thread, it’s an assertion. It’s a credible assertion to me, but stating that it is a fact does not refute the counter-argument. Is there no international organization of journalists keeping a count? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2650 "2026-04-27T00:19:02Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Is there no international organization of journalists keeping a count? No, of course not. How would that help sell the narrative that Israel is a genocidal monstrous settler colonial Zionist Entity that must be destroyed? Better to just claim every terrorist is a jOuRnAlIsT. You’re right, setting up such a body would be trivial, and if Israel is really this murderous journalist-blood-thirsty cabal like Banquet Buddy pretends to believe, it would be of ENORMOUS benefit to set up such a body. But they never will, because it would show how full of shit they are, and they know it. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2651 "2026-04-27T00:19:28Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > the argument is that making an Al Jazeera branded account on TikTok doesn’t wipe out your Hamas activities. …;Babale knows that there isn’t any evidence that the people on this list are conducting “Hamas activities.” > **[List of journalists killed in the Gaza war](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_the_Gaza_war)** > > Background This is just typical of his shtick. Throw mud at the wall and see what sticks. Start naming names Babale and start providing evidence. Or shut the fuck up. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2652 "2026-04-27T00:20:25Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I’d prefer you don’t repeat baseless propaganda. I’m repeating _your own cite_. > **[Sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians during the Gaza war | Leaked video of gang rape](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_and_gender-based_violence_against_Palestinians_during_the_Gaza_war#Leaked_video_of_gang_rape)** > > In late July 2024, a Palestinian prisoner in Sde Teiman was hospitalised with a ruptured bowel and a severe injury to his anus. He had also suffered from lung damage and broken ribs. A doctor from the detention camp reported that the prisoner sustained "a ruptured bowel, severe injuries to his anus, lung damage, and broken ribs". > Subsequently, nine Israeli reservists, including a major, were arrested on suspicion they had sodomized him and suspicion of mistreating the detainee. Protestors, inclu... > On 10 March 2026, the Israeli military court announced that the charges against the five soldiers accused of the incident has dropped, with Itay Offir, a military advocate general, stated that the prosecutors “lacked key evidence” after the victim returned to Gaza that the likelihood of a fair trial had been impacted by the actions of senior officials.[ Maybe you shouldn’t rely on baseless propaganda for your citations. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2653 "2026-04-27T00:22:00Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Is there no international organization of journalists keeping a count? …obviously yes. The CPJ. [Record 129 press members killed in 2025; Israel responsible for 2/3 of deaths - Committee to Protect Journalists](https://cpj.org/special-reports/record-129-press-members-killed-in-2025-israel-responsible-for-2-of-3-of-deaths/#:~:text=At%20a%20time%20when%20armed,more%20than%20three%20decades%20ago). This has been common knowledge for years and is easily googleable. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2654 "2026-04-27T00:23:38Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > Start naming names Babale and start providing evidence. Or shut the fuck up. You did it for me, thank you! You “journalist” was indeed on Hamas’ own list of fighters. Now, you will try to pretend that it’s not real evidence because it came from the ~~Jewish~~ (((Zionist))) IDF. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2655 "2026-04-27T00:23:44Z")
That is a conspiracy theory, and frankly not a very good one. What interest would international journalistic organizations have in such a thing? Wartime journalism is dangerous, and journalists do get killed. It would be surprising if there were zero deaths at the hands of Israel, or zero at the hands of Hamas. It would also be surprising if Hamas were manufacturing journalists from among the dead as anti-Israeli propaganda (there are easier ways of producing anti-Israel propaganda), and it would be surprising if an unusually large number of dead journalists were merely casualties of a dangerous situation. It strikes me that an average number of journalists killed per month, compared with other modern conflicts, would be an easy way to settle this. As it stands, the person providing a credible assertion without evidence is more believable than the person backing up their claim with conspiracy theories. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2656 "2026-04-27T00:23:53Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > So in return israel with the help of the us is totally justified in destroying the country and, starving, killing, or displacing every single person living there. Which is not in any way whatsoever an accurate description of what’s happening, but I’m sure Comrade Putin appreciates the useful idiot you’ve made of yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2657 "2026-04-27T00:24:49Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > That is a conspiracy theory, and frankly not a very good one. What interest would international journalistic organizations have in such a thing? You explain to me the obsession with Israel and complete silence about _actual_ genocides order of magnitudes more deadly. I’ll wait. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2658 "2026-04-27T00:24:51Z")
I didn’t see this when I wrote my previous reply. Thanks for the cite, though I could have done without the snark. Google is nowhere near as reliable these days as it was even five years ago, so I prefer not to rely on it for areas in which I have no expertise. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2659 "2026-04-27T00:27:18Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > The CPJ Lol. Lmao even. > **[How the CPJ Redefines International Law to Designate Terrorists as Journalists...](https://honestreporting.com/how-the-cpj-redefines-international-law-to-designate-terrorists-as-journalists/)** > > In summing up the past year, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has asserted that 2024 was the deadliest year for journalists in the ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653/2660 "2026-04-27T00:28:27Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > You explain to me the obsession with Israel I don’t think there is an obsession with Israel. It’s a nation with which Americans have a deep, if imaginary, historical relationship via their majority religion, and also a place with a lot of violence. If you can demonstrate to me that the press’s interest is all out of proportion considering the cultural interest, I’m prepared to hear that. > [@Babale](#): > > and complete silence about _actual_ genocides order of magnitudes more deadly. I’ll wait. I don’t know about any other genocides that are orders of magnitudes more deadly. Perhaps because of that complete silence, or perhaps because they are imaginary. I mean, the genocide of Indigenous Americans was more deadly, but also primarily an event of the past, so you wouldn’t expect coverage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653.md?page=132) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-for-the-israel-hamas-war-a-thread-in-the-pit/992653.md?page=134)