Israel brutally killed at least 17,400 children in Gaza. How can anyone defend that?

[Beastly Boy]

34. Why stop there? Let's eliminate just one other bullshit rationalization, OK?

Who is responsible for keeping the Palestinian children out of harm's way? In the language of the Fourth Geneva Convention, "ART. 29. — The Party to the conflict in whose hands protected persons may be, is responsible for the treatment accorded to them
by its agents, irrespective of any individual responsibility which may be incurred."

In whose hands were the Palestinian children during the war? What was the treatment accorded to them by the party in whose hands they were? Oh yeah, Hamas had the means of protecting and feeding them them, the opportunity to protect and feed them, but no motive to protect them whatsoever. In fact, the children's leaders repeatedly went on record to articulate their motives: to "martyr" as many Palestinian civilians as possible, children and all.

Not only did Hamas fail in their responsibility to protect them, they deliberately exposed the children, by placing their armed militants among them at will and at every opportunity, to mortal danger inevitable during wartime. It wasn't a bug in their strategy, it was a feature. Not a single Palestinian child was found in the safety of Hamas tunnels full of stolen food, water and fuel. Not a single civilian. Not a single Hamas terrorist was found starving outside the protection of the tunnels, schools and hospitals they hid inside in blatant violation of international law.

Talk to Hamas about what slaughtering tens of thousands of Palestinian children would accomplish.They appear to have had that idea first.