# Will Israel destroy Hamas **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** israel-hamas-war\ **Created:** [October 8, 2023, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-israel-destroy-hamas/991277 "2023-10-08T15:22:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 23
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-israel-destroy-hamas/991277/23 "2023-10-08T21:28:16Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Yes, the black-and-white conviction that Israel is an evil imperialist power murdering innocent Palestinians is much more widespread on the left than just “tankies”. Well, it should be acknowledged that Israel has killed a lot of Palestinian civilians. According to [United Nations figures](https://www.ochaopt.org/data/casualties), between the beginning of 2008 and September 2023, at least 3,803 Palestinian civilians were killed. (In addition, 1,022 “Armed group” Palestinians and 1,582 Palestinians of “Disputed” status were killed, making a total of 6,407 Palestinian fatalities). Over the same time period, 177 Israeli civilians were killed. (In addition, 131 “Israeli forces” were killed, making a total of 308 Israeli fatalities). Here is a breakdown of the Palestinian civilian fatality contexts: Access prevention: 149 Demonstrations: 376 Major hostilities: 1,795 Search and arrest operations: 217 Settler-related incidents: 254 Other: 1,012 What gets me is that many, perhaps most, people seem to hold either a pro-Israeli or a pro-Palestinian viewpoint. It is this binary thinking that perpetuates the cycle of violence generation after generation, as the only solution that will provide a lasting peace is a political one, and that will involve dialogue and compromise from both sides. Since the pro-Israel stance is more dominant on this board I have tried to provide some balance through explanation of the Palestinian viewpoint. If this situation were reversed and the Palestinian viewpoint dominant, I would instead explain the Israeli viewpoint, such as the right of their nation to exist and their people to live in peace. Obviously, the murder of civilians is never acceptable and yesterday saw the perpetration of some heinous acts of evil. I would just urge people to recognise the many Palestinian civilians that have also died in this conflict, as they don’t seem to get much attention. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-israel-destroy-hamas/991277)._