Most of the Palestinian casualties have been adult males [View all]

[oberliner]

For some reason "slaughtering women and children" is repeated as a description of Israel's actions in Gaza, but it’s primarily adult males who have been killed.

Gaza has a population that is over half female, yet, according to the most recent Palestinian Ministry of Health numbers, the percentage of those killed who are male is a little under 90 percent.

The fact that so many children have been killed is absolutely horrific and deserving of the strongest possible condemnation.

Israel is clearly conducting itself with a callous disregard for Palestinian civilian life, but this notion that Israel is just ordering the "mass murder of women and children" or the "genocide of the Palestinian people" or anything of that nature is just absolutely preposterous.

Question the motives for the Israeli incursion, certainly – call right-wing nutty Netanyahu out on his bs and lies and his dehumanizing statements about Palestinians. Speak out against the killing of children, the bombing of civilian buildings, mosques, schools. All condemnable.

But Israel is not just on some kind of sadistic quest to slaughter large numbers of Palestinian women and children. That's just not what is happening.

Israel is trying to destroy tunnels, hit rocket launchers, destroy munitions, kill Hamas leaders (and active members). The problem is that they don't particularly care if they end up killing some civilians who are in the area of a target.

If a rocket is launched by Hamas from near a school- Israel will shoot back at that rocket launcher and if they hit the school and kill some innocent people there, Israel's attitude is "so be it".

If there is a tunnel, Israel will bomb the the tunnel - with a half-assed warning to the people who might be living in the homes around the tunnel. If there are some civilians who are killed in the process, the Israeli government attitude is "oh well".

This is the fundamental problem with what Israel is doing and why they should be condemned. The hyperbole found on DU, and elsewhere, is not necessary. Israel is doing enough actual bad things right now that they should be taken to task for.

And, of course, Israel is not special in this regard. The US army has killed many many more civilians in its recent “incursions” when the threat to the US mainland was minimal (possibly non-existent). NATO airstrikes continue to destroy families, kill children, destroy homes. To say nothing of some non-Western armies and paramilitary groups around the world. Generally these do not seem to result in the same sort of passionate worldwide response as when Israel behaves similarly.

It's also easy to forget a few things about Hamas, and other "resistance" organizations.

The Hamas leadership – not too long ago – themselves orchestrated a regular series of suicide bombing of Israeli men, women, and children. Civilians targeted on purpose, repeatedly, including babies and senior citizens. This is not ancient history.

Many Israelis have some connection to someone who was killed in such an attack in the late 90’s early 2000s. Attacks that were cheered and celebrated by Hamas - during a time when other Israeli and Palestinian leaders were working towards peace.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, those who did. I stand with all those who support peace and oppose violence.