Israeli strike kills 76 members of one Gaza family, rescue officials say as combat expands in south

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY
Updated 4:49 AM CST, December 23, 2023

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike killed 76 members of an extended family, rescue officials said Saturday, a day after the U.N. chief warned again that nowhere is safe in Gaza and that Israel’s ongoing offensive is creating “massive obstacles” to the distribution of humanitarian aid.

Friday’s strike on a building in Gaza City was among the deadliest of the Israel-Hamas war, now in its 12th week, said Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense department. He provided a partial list of the names of those killed — 16 heads of households from the al-Mughrabi family — and said the dead included women and children.

Among the dead were Issam al-Mughrabi, a veteran employee of U.N. Development Program, his wife, and their five children.

“The loss of Issam and his family has deeply affected us all. The U.N. and civilians in Gaza are not a target,” said Achim Steiner, the head of the agency. “This war must end.”




Read more: https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-23-2023-982fae4d0802b20d2a90423445c9f64b

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[Goddessartist]

1. So very sad

[TeamProg]

2. But don't call it genocide. nt

[LymphocyteLover]

5. I don't. If Israel was really committing genocide, there'd be 10-20x more dead.

this doesn't excuse Israel's killing of innocent people though.

[Igel]

13. And if it happens, then call it genocide.

If it doesn't, don't.

[WhiteTara]

9. do we really know the number of dead?

[EX500rider]

10. We do not unless you trust Hamas

Who has also admitted they list all dead Hamas members as civilians.

And I would guess stretch the definition of children to include 16 to 18 yo members of Hamas rocket teams.

[Igel]

14. Their numbers are usually not that bad in past wars.

Getting an accurate count of the minors, women and men killed even permitted some decent post-hoc estimates of the number of fighters.

This one might be different, but until then, I'm not going to take issue with the numbers except to put a * after them and say 'subject to verification' or some such pablum.

[EX500rider]

17. I frankly doubt the efficiency to issue daily numbers

I really doubt they have enough people out combing all the wreckage and bomb craters for bodies and counting them up and then turning that number in daily .
But since they do issue daily numbers I'm assuming semi made up or guesstaments weighted to their advantage and propaganda

[TeamProg]

28. Yeah sure, but aren't you the slightest bit horrified?

Not a single gasp of WTF? Or Why the fuck is Israel bombing Gazans out if existence?

I sense nope, nothing, nil.

The self-perpetuating irony is quite simply, simple. And so very sad.

It seems that some peoples’ minds are, and I could be wrong, that Netanyahu supporters have reason to feel some kind of smug gratification?

Q: How long will this smug gratification last?

A: Eh, probably not long.

I pray for peace- and international, world-wide accountability. They go hand in hand you know.

[AloeVera]

34. Wow.

[AloeVera]

31. Actually their numbers were pretty reliable and close to actuals in the past.

If anything, it's going to be worse. There are thousands buried under the rubble unaccounted for and not included. Last estimate I saw a while ago was 7,000 "missing" as their relatives could not dig them out.

[AloeVera]

33. Kids 14 and under comprise 43% of the population.

So excluding the ones you don't consider to be children because they've been recruited by Hamas and presto! turned into adults.

Given the indiscriminate nature of the bombing, victims are going to break-out pretty close to their percentage of the population.

A lot of kids, few Hamas.

[EX500rider]

37. Well the young Hamas members might be victims of Hamas that's for sure

But if they're firing rockets at Israel they're legitimate military targets regardless of age.

It's not like US troops didn't have to shoot Hitler Youth who was shooting at them or at young suicide bombers in Iraq.

War ain't pretty.

[AloeVera]

38. Ok but let's keep it in perspective.

Many more kids of whatever age have been killed than the few 16-17 year old victims of Hamas manning rockets.

Pointing to those few is a red herring argument.

[EX500rider]

39. Oh, where did you a breakdown of ages?

[AloeVera]

40. Sorry. I meant to include a link.

https://www.indexmundi.com/gaza_strip/demographics_profile.html

It's a data portal with a " high credibility" rating.

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/indexmundi/#google_vignette

[EX500rider]

41. I meant a breakdown of the casualty ages

To see how many were 16 to 18 year old "children"

[AloeVera]

42. As you know, no one has those numbers.

If, as it seems, you want to believe that the children killed are mostly 16-17 year-old Hamas rocket launchers, I can't refute that with facts I don't have.

But logic tells me when apartment buildings and family homes, schools and other places of shelter are bombed to rubble or a just a hole in the ground, the children living there are going to be in proportion to their share of the population.

[lostnfound]

25. Less than 100,000 so we don't need to worry our f'ing pretty little heads about it.

Sorry, my bleak and depressed attempt to kill the pain of feeling anything about the hellhole of a world we live in.

Also it’s a defensive move against people entrenched in their own defenses.

The U.S. killed 100,000 people in one night in Tokyo fire bombings. War is hell and we can all be reminded not to be self-righteous but also not to pretend that it’s all okay. It just all sucks. Because it’s war.

[NickB79]

22. There are over 1 million Palestinians living in Israel as Israeli citizens

Strange they'd ignore them if they were intent on genocide.

[AloeVera]

35. Well self-bombing is not an option.

Just being sarcastic. It's a personal failing and an auto-response when I can't stop shaking my head.

[elias7]

3. Very sad, indeed. Hamas could end the war today by surrendering - arms and hostages

This is a war. They have lost. Israel is fighting for its survival and Hamas has promised to do thie terror of 10/7 over and over.

I too wish Israel would cease fire, but why are there no calls for Gaza to release hostages and surrender arms? Why are the calls for the end of the war only calling on Israel, when war involves two parties?

[LymphocyteLover]

4. Yes. Still, it's hard to figure what the benefit of this strike was

OTOH, I'm not clear how one strike was able to kill so many from one family. Seems odd.

[elias7]

6. Yes, I agree, it does seem indiscriminate

Although we don’t know the story or circumstances, at first glance, Israel should be better than this to avoid the appearance of mass killing of innocents.

[AloeVera]

36. I'm sorry but it's 12 weeks too late for that.

I honestly don't understand why people are just waking up now.

I would add that avoiding the appearance of mass killing of innocents is less important than actually avoiding killing them.

For this madness to stop, good people everywhere have to say enough!

[Igel]

16. Could have been a member of the family was targeted, or something was stored in the basement or on the roof.

But that so many were from one family isn't a real shock.

There's a tendency that's been reported for families with a chunk of ground and a building to continue add on to the house as the sons grow up and have their own families. And if there's a lot of refugees in your family and you had a roof in a less disastrous area, they'd go to you for shelter.

It also doesn't say the time of day. If it's 3 a.m. it's also easier to understand. (But 3 p.m. isn't a stretch.)

[onecaliberal]

18. Or, indiscriminate bombing could stop....

[NickB79]

23. Like Hamas rocket attacks?

The ones that ended the last ceasefire?

[AloeVera]

32. There are vast differences.

I won't list them out, they're pretty obvious. Surely you see that?

[lostnfound]

26. If only the children could vote on that.

[lostnfound]

27. Why do you ask for irrational insane asylum murderous madmen to stop?

It’s not very rational to keep expecting Charles Manson to wake up and say, “oh you’re right! I should stop for the sake of the children!”

[TeamProg]

29. Israeli hostages were shot, by the IDF, remember ? This is where

it’s at.

Fear and hate over-whelming good sense.

[TeamProg]

30. Israeli settlers have been invading and occupying Palestinians' land.

How is lost on you ?

What other means do they have when diplomacy and negotiation hasn’t worked out?

[Mysterian]

8. Too bad for the kids the parents provide aid and comfort to terrorists

Maybe if they stopped doing that and tried to be part of the civilized world, tragedies like this would not happen.

[Mysterian]

12. Hamas sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind

It's unfortunate that Hamas turned Gaza into a war zone. Your comment about the rape of children is depraved. I hope you find the help you need.

[Oopsie Daisy]

15. Thank you *

* for both of your posts above. I agree.

[Kennah]

19. Bad things happen in the fog of war

[SouthBayDem]

20. Update: "Biden says he didn't request a cease-fire"

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, calling it a long and private conversation a day after the Biden administration again shielded Israel in the diplomatic arena. On Friday, the U.N. Security Council adopted a watered-down resolution that calls for immediately speeding up aid deliveries to desperate civilians in Gaza, but not for a cease-fire.

“I did not ask for a cease-fire,” Biden said of the call. Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister “made clear that Israel would continue the war until achieving all its goals.”

[Rhiannon12866]

21. Biden: 'I did not ask for a cease-fire' during Netanyahu conversation - MSNBC Reports

https://www.democraticunderground.com/13215799

Biden stopped for questions on the White House South Lawn prior to his departure to Camp David, where he said he did not ask Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a cease-fire. He said the talk between him and Netanyahu is “a private conversation.” - Aired on 12/23/2023.