# Discussion thread for the Hamas Attacks Israel thread, October 2023

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Tags:** israel-hamas-war\
**Created:** [October 9, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317 "2023-10-09T15:10:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 1497

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**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:** [November 13, 2023, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-hamas-attacks-israel-thread-october-2023/991317/1497 "2023-11-13T12:17:18Z")

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> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> Whether or not it’s a war crime depends on what military installations actually are underneath it, not on how strong a case the IDF makes to the public.

…no.

You don’t get to make the case that a hospital is a legitimate target _after_ you’ve laid siege, bombed it, killed and wounded people. They’ve had _weeks_ to make the case. The UN ambassador spoke to the assembly just a few days ago and spent most of his time lambasting UN and humanitarian agencies. The very least he could have done was pulled a Colin Powell. Because the thing is: Israel’s case here is even _flimsier_ than this.

> **[User Clip: Colin Powell UN presentation WMD trucks CGI](https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5002440%2Fuser-clip-colin-powell-presentation-wmd-trucks-cgi)**
>
> US Secretary of State Colin Powell speaking before the United Nations and showing a CGI slide show of alleged WMD trucks

And we aren’t just talking about Al-Shifa. 21 hospitals in Gaza are out of service. No fuel. No food. No water. No medicine. Do they all have military installations under them? Because even if they did, that still isn’t enough to make them a legitimate target. Not according to the conventions. The standard is _higher_ than that.

I don’t say any of this lightly. Because I don’t think we should be taking any of this lightly. If you are going to lay siege to a hospital, the standard needs to be higher than “it’s been common knowledge for the past 15 years.”

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