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A Times Investigation Tracked Israel’s Use of One of Its Most Destructive Bombs in South Gaza

During the first six weeks of the war in Gaza, Israel routinely used one of its biggest and most destructive bombs in areas it designated safe for civilians, according to an analysis of visual evidence by The New York Times.

The video investigation focuses on the use of 2,000-pound bombs in an area of southern Gaza where Israel had ordered civilians to move for safety. While bombs of that size are used by several Western militaries, munitions experts say they are almost never dropped by U.S. forces in densely populated areas anymore.

The Times programmed an artificial intelligence tool to scan satellite imagery of south Gaza for bomb craters. Times reporters manually reviewed the search results, looking for craters measuring roughly 40 feet across or larger. Munitions experts say typically only 2,000-pound bombs form craters of that size in Gaza’s light, sandy soil.

Ultimately, the investigation identified 208 craters in satellite imagery and drone footage. Because of limited satellite imagery and variations in a bomb’s effects, there are likely to have been many cases that were not captured. But the findings reveal that 2,000-pound bombs posed a pervasive threat to civilians seeking safety across south Gaza.

In response to questions about the bomb’s use in south Gaza, an Israeli military spokesman said in a statement to The Times that Israel’s priority was destroying Hamas and “questions of this kind will be looked into at a later stage.” The spokesman also said that the I.D.F. “takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.”

But U.S. officials have said that Israel should do more to reduce civilian casualties while fighting Hamas. The Pentagon increased shipments to Israel of smaller bombs that it considers better suited to urban environments like Gaza. Still, since October, the United States has also sent more than 5,000 MK-84 munitions — a type of 2,000-pound bomb.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/21/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-bomb-investigation.html

I know, I know, none of that matters.

I’m glad you finally admit none of this matters.

You made your point numerous times. It hasn’t changed the fact that Palestinians make up the fighting force of Hamas. Where do you expect they will find and kill all of these Palestinian fighters? And who will grieve for them? Palestinians.

.

Nations across the globe are grieving for those innocent women and children. Many Americans included. Sadly to some it doesn't matter. They lump them in with Hamas and don't give a damn.

While nations across the globe have stood idly by watching millions of innocent Jews being slaughtered, gassed, tortured, raped and killed. That doesn’t seem to matter much to them at all either. They lump all Jews together, including innocent civilians and continue their crusade to kill all Jews. All of them including innocent women and children.

Hamas is guilty of that. When you excuse Israel for killing civilians all the while condemning Hamas for the exact same thing it rings rather hollow.

Well that's 1000 out of 2.3 million people. It's a funny thing. During the BLM protests people tried to use isolated photos as examples of black violence. That all the left was a violent mob. Then you called it profiling and not accurate. Now you have decided to adopt that same strategy yourself. Funny how all it takes to change a person's strategy is dependent on the group of people involved.

Sometimes you sound like a HAMAS fanboy, the way you dismiss the horror of OCT. 7TH. I know you are no more pro hamas than me, but sometime you sound more like Omar or Tlaib than Pit.

Nobody is dismissing what happened on Oct. 7th. It's not my fault you can't wrap your mind around the fact that when Israel slaughters innocent civilians it's no different than when anyone else does it. The women and children of Gaza's life is no less valuable than the women and children of Israel. It's actually a rather simple concept.

And you are the one who has always stuck up for the squad, not me. Actually you have made feeble attempts to give me grief for it when I have spoken out against AOC. My how the colors have changed.

Sounds like someone is. Palestinians are still holding innocent Jews hostage. Still being tortured by their captors.

When you have to resort to comparing Israel to Hamas in order to excuse Israel's behavior that speaks volumes. Hamas is a terrorist organization.

I wonder how many of their own hostages Israel has killed with their 2000 lb. dumb bombs? What ever that number is they'll likely never tell us the truth about it. We already know they mistakenly shot and killed three of them. The crazy actions of Netanyahu are what you are supporting here. That's not the Israeli people. Oh that's right, to you they're the same thing.

There wouldn’t be Jewish hostages if Palestinian fighters didn’t take them hostage. Gaza is where it’s at because of Palestinian leaders decided to start a war with Israel.

So that's your excuse now? That's what abusers sound like. "Well I wouldn't have hit her if she didn't make me mad."

Lol yeah thats it.

"Hamas is making me kill our own hostages!" - Benjamin Netanyahu

Maybe that will make it clearer for you.

Maybe. And maybe Hamas could let the hostages go and help stop the war they started.

https://thehill.com/policy/internat...s-unrwa-allegations-hamas-attack-israel/


US halts funds for UN body over allegations staff involved in Hamas attacks on Israel

The Biden administration announced Friday it was pausing funds for the United Nations body responsible for Palestinian refugees over allegations that 12 of its staff were involved in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks against Israel.

Wow! serious allegations here. A United Nations body involved with the Oct 7 attacks. So we can assume any information coming out of this UN body isn’t entirely factual.

Everybody and their mamma is popping off in the Middle East.

I’m starting to wonder if some of this crap is due to the fact that humans can’t imagine a world without chaos and war? Like…people get bored. It’s like the people in this country wanting a big revolution on the right and left, even though reality says we’re moving along just fine, as usual. People just need that chaos, cause it feels like something - good or bad - is actually happening.

IDK. This has PUTIN written all over it.

I guess you didn't get the message. Netanyahu made it clear the mission is to destroy Hamas no matter if he gets the hostages back or not. Once you tell them that they have nothing to gain by giving the hostages back.

He might have something to do with it, but a lot of the Houthi stuff in the Middle East is disrupting Chinese trade and they're kinda pissed about it. I don't think he would encourage a lot of stuff that would piss them off.

I do think that it's mostly on Iran. There is quite a power vacuum in the surrounding areas. On the advantageous side to them, Iraq isn't as powerful as it was in opposition to them as when Saddam was in power. So they are trying to make a push to heavily influence Iraq, especially with us moving out. On the downside, Assad is not as powerful as he used to be in Syria, so they still have to do everything they can to prop him up. They are also trying to exert as much influence as they can in the widely-Sunni Arabian Peninsula with the Houthi group in Yemen.

I think they're also trying to keep their populace focused on the world outside the country, too. They've had a lot of internal strife over the past few years. On top of that, the Ayatollah is ailing and they may not want to make that or choosing his successor a focal point in light of all the internal unrest they're experiencing.

Put all that together in a pot, add to it they are already subsidizing Hamas and Hezbollah, and I find them to be the chief instigator of most of the garbage going on right now.

Group of Democrats call on Blinken to provide answers on bypassing Congress to approve arms sales to Israel

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN
4 minute read
Updated 2:37 PM EST, Tue January 30, 2024
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses a press conference in Tel Aviv on January 9, 2024, during his week-long trip aimed at calming tensions across the Middle East, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses a press conference in Tel Aviv on January 9, 2024, during his week-long trip aimed at calming tensions across the Middle East, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images) Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images
CNN
—
A group of 19 predominantly Democratic lawmakers is calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide answers about why he bypassed Congress last month to approve arms sales to Israel.

“It is essential for Congress to be able to conduct oversight of these arms transfers and determine whether they are consistent with humanitarian principles and U.S. law, and whether they advance or harm U.S. national security,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter dated Friday and obtained by CNN.


The top US diplomat made two emergency determinations in December to immediately approve the transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in military equipment to Israel. The first was transmitted to Congress in early December for more than 13,000 tanks shells; the second, in late December for “155mm ancillary items including fuzes, charges, and primers that make 155mm shells functional.”

The emergency determinations meant the administration was able to bypass the standard 20-day period that congressional committees are typically afforded to review such sales.

The letter to Blinken comes amid growing anger and calls by progressive lawmakers – several of whom signed on to the letter– to enact conditions on military aid to Israel as the humanitarian toll of the offensive in Gaza continues to mount. More than 26,000 people have been killed since the start of the offensive in October, the Hamas-controlled health ministry said, and hundreds of thousands have been internally displaced, according to the UN.

The administration’s staunch support for Israel’s war is becoming a serious political problem for President Joe Biden in an election year with many progressive Democrats, Muslim and younger voters deeply unhappy about how the president is handling the war.

The letter was signed by Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, and Peter Welch, and Democratic Reps. James McGovern, Earl Blumenauer, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, Raúl M. Grijalva, Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Betty McCollum, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Jill Tokuda, Maxine Waters, and DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.


In their letter, the lawmakers noted the rarity of administrations using emergency declarations to immediately approve arms sales without congressional approval. They also referenced the standards under US policies, such as the Leahy Law, to not provide military assistance to security forces credibly accused of gross human rights violations.

“Use of a national emergency waiver does not exempt the U.S. government from assessing whether arms sales are consistent with” those standards, they wrote.

The lawmakers called on the State Department to provide answers to a series of questions “in order to assess whether these transfers are consistent with international humanitarian law.” The list includes questions about how the government determined “that an emergency existed to necessitate both immediate transfers to Israel,” why the administration believes “Israel needs and will use 155mm shells in their military campaign,” and any mitigation efforts put in place to curb civilian casualties.

They also asked whether the government has “conducted any Leahy Law vetting of Israeli forces since October 7” and if there were “any findings of credible information that forces committed gross violations of human rights.”

The lawmakers requested the answers by February 9.

“We appreciate that your administration has repeatedly urged the Israeli government to take additional steps to reduce civilian casualties. However, we are concerned that these transfers and the administration’s evasion of congressional oversight may be inconsistent with broader U.S. foreign policy goals,” read the letter.


“We are also troubled by the decision to provide equipment for 155mm shells, which over 30 U.S.-based civil society organizations warned poses ‘a grave risk to civilians’ and are ‘inherently indiscriminate’ when used in densely populated areas like Gaza,” the lawmakers wrote. “In addition to the civilian harm risks inherent to the nature of these weapons, we are concerned that the weapons the U.S. provides could be used in a manner that violates of U.S. policy and international law.”

State Department spokesperson Matt Miller on Tuesday pushed back on the idea that the Department bypassed Congress, saying it was “following the statute that Congress passed.” He also said the determinations were made “in consultation with leading members of Congress.”

“We always welcome engagement with Congress and we will engage with them on this question, as we always do. I would say that the process that the secretary followed and the process that we follow here at the State Department is the process that the law actually prescribed,” Miller said at a State Department briefing.

Asked about the first emergency determination in early December, Blinken said that “when it comes to the weapons that we transfer, the rules that go along with them, those rules apply to Israel as they do to any other country, including the way they’re used and the need, the imperative of respecting international humanitarian law.”

“We want to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Hamas,” he said on ABC’s “This Week” at the time. “A small portion of what has been requested is going through on an emergency basis, that is moving quickly so that Israel can have what it needs in hand. But virtually everything else is going through the regular order, through Congress. It’s very important that Congress’s voice be heard in this.”

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/30/politics/democrats-letter-blinken-israel-arms-sale/index.html

I think it’s all a symptom of the misinformation on the right. The left is at a breaking point with the right for all the anti american bs. The right is just nuts, has lost it’s way, is transforming from the second party in a two party system to a cult of hatred that 67% of Americans do not like.

And around the world, Trump 2016 gave hope to all the dictators, theocracies, and asshat strongmen that a degradation of US power would help. Republicans delivered. And we’ve been fighting that battle since.

OCD You could not be further from the truth. Like Trump or hate Trump it does not matter he was a strong leader. When America is strong you don't see foreign Countries doing stupid things. Biden is weak. Elections have consequences. We elected a weak leader and players on the world stage have started to act up. Putin and Hamas took the opportunity to strike. North Korea, Iran, and China are moving closer to being bad actors on the world stage. The World needs a strong America. It needs a strong American president. Not some dope that can't speak straight, don't remember where he is, who he is with, and what time it is. Bows to the World Economic Forum and other globalists. And puts their interests ahead of American interest.

Is that you Putin?

I don't think I would disagree with the premise that administrations like Biden's and Obama's need(ed) to hold partners to task more for things like meeting their military budget pledges, and missed on moments to demonstrate a greater show of strength (red lines in Syria, for instance). To say that they didn't miss on some of those would be inaccurate.

When it comes to Trump, though, I'll just posit this question: "If your enemy is beating himself up, do you feel the need to attack him?"

My advice to you is to rush out and get better gloves, because you’re losing your grip my man. Trump is a slug and a joke on the national stage. NOBODY takes him seriously. Nobody likes or is afraid of Trump the man. As potus he frightens everyone because he’s an imbecile man child with murderous traitorous fascist tendencies who has no idea how the world actually works. That person with nuclear weapons should terrify everyone, even idiots.

Oh, and Putin and the other dictatorial thugs, Trump’s boyfriends, will do anything to help reelect their useful idiot. Him being in the oval was like them getting the keys to the kingDUMB. Trump done more harm in four years than any other traitor in American history. He got his whole damn party to act attrocious and give up on their American principles and morals. I.e.- Ukraine and rooting for Putin. And you being ex military, of all people, should know how damned shameful and anti american that is.

IDF recover 2 hostages hidden by Hamas among civilians. 2 are back.

I wonder how many hostages they have killed with their own bombs? So they accidentally killed three of their own hostages....

Israeli troops killed hostages, mistaking their cries for help as ambush -military

https://www.reuters.com/world/middl...r-cries-help-ambush-military-2023-12-28/

And now they killed 67 Palestinians to rescue two hostages.

At least 67 Palestinians killed during dramatic Gaza raid to rescue 2 hostages

https://abc7news.com/israel-hostage-rescue-bombing-rafah-gaza-palestinians-killed/14414625/

You're one line claim doesn't quite tell the entire story.

It’s heartbreaking. Hamas holds the key to peace. Release the hostages.

That would be the right thing for them to do. However from a strategic standpoint once they do that they hold no leverage. Meanwhile innocent Palestinians are being slaughtered and the one slaughtering them is not Hamas.

And I know that no matter what Israel does in their attempt to defeat Hamas there most certainly will be civilian deaths. That's a given. But a modern military, which Israel most certainly is, has the ability to single out, seek and destroy its intended target while minimizing civilian casualties. I don't see any attempt to accomplish such an objective on the part of Israel.

Actually they are, by putting them in harms way. Who hides brutalized hostages behind innocent civilians in a war they started? Israel is slaughtering Palestinian fighters. They claim a 1 to 1 casualty rate of one Palestinians fighter to one civilian loss. While Hamas leaders hide in Qatar, Syria, and Iraq. I’m not excusing what Israel has done but they won’t stop this until all the hostages are released or found. And there is little the rest of the world can do. It’s heartbreaking.

Hamas will never hold leverage ever again. Israel will seek and destroy anyone related or fought with Hamas. They will kill them all over time. They did this with NAZI’s after the war. Very well documented. They also searched out and killed every member involved in the Munich massacre of the 1972 Olympics. Once again Palestinians at the spearhead. Palestinians have historically brought death and destruction upon themselves and their families. This isn’t anything new in the Middle East.

Actually if Israel were targeting Hamas as I have pointed out, they could isolate their whereabouts and target them without so many civilians casualties plain and simple. I've shown you ways for a long time now. I've shown you the antiquated bombs they are using that destroy everything within 1000 feet in every direction. The world sees it and the world knows it. No amount of excuses will change that.

You're right about them killing them all over time. And tens of, if not hundreds of thousands in the end will have no ties to Hamas. Just as we're seeing now. And you will most likely still be making excuses for it.

And you must have missed the memo from Netanyahu. He said he will not stop until Hamas is destroyed. Which is not related to the hostages return. Now we all just have to wait and see what his interpretation of Hamas being destroyed means. And then we'll just have to take his word for it, right? You know we have a guy here that's under indictment and trying to undermine the rule of law the same way Netanyahu is currently doing in Israel. How often do you take his word for things?

Actually they do isolate their whereabouts. And when they do, they find out they’re hiding behind civilians. The raid to free the hostages last week had taken over a month to plan as to reduce the number of civilian casualties. We only see the snapshots the Palestinians want US to see. The numbers they want US to hear. I don’t believe everything I read or hear. Especially coming out of Gaza. I did see a confirmed video footage released this morning of the Palestinian Hamas leader escaping through a tunnel with his family in tow. Proving Palestinian/Hamas leaders travel with their families putting them in harms way. Innocent civilians related to Hamas. Their foot solders do the exact same thing, they put their own families in harms way. The video was recorded just a day or so after the deadly attack in Israel. And your continued rant that I’m excusing Israel for being a killing machine is ridiculous and a lie. Stating facts doesn’t equate into excuses.

Your facts must include killing tens of thousands of innocent civilians. It seems you claim not to trust Hamas yet many of the things I'm posting came directly from the WHO, Doctors Without Borders and humanitarian agencies. Instead you trust every word coming from Netanyahu's propaganda machine. Nobody's word seems to matter to you but his.

. Not really