Wednesday 18 October 2023

The destruction of a hospital in Gaza and HRW investigations of the atrocities of 7th October [Content Warning - links to reports on bigotry/hate, graphic violence/abuse/war. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Content shown in green (which may be only part of a news story) is about what is generally considered “good news”, but personal history may still make such events triggering. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/.  

 

PS - I was wrong: the analysis released today strongly supports Israel's statements that the terrible explosion at a hospital in Gaza was the result of a misfired missile from a Palestinian terror group - see https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/18/al-ahli-arab-hospital-piecing-together-what-happened-as-israel-insists-militant-rocket-to-blame 

I apologise for my error. 

Given Israel’s the attack on a hospital that now appears to have been from a malfunctioning missile from a Palestinian terror group (and facile attempts at denial), which caused hundreds of deaths and united the entirety of West Asia - and many inside Israel, who are and have been for some time furious with the current far right regime there - against Israel in a way not seen since October 1973, I am concerned that we may see the region erupt in a bloody war (which Israel will likely win) ... either that, or Israel will start listening, and back off on its current genocidal campaigns in Gaza. 

The new analysis makes it less likely that a regional conflict will occur, but concerns about the conduct of the war and the risk of escalation remain.

News links are: 

  • “World reacts as Gaza officials say 500 killed in Israeli strike on hospital”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/17/world-reacts-as-gaza-officials-say-500-killed-in-israeli-strike-on-hospital   “Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the attack and stressed the importance of adhering to the laws of war. ... The ICRC also condemned the strike, saying “hospitals should be sanctuaries to preserve human life, not scenes of death and destruction”. ... French President Emmanuel Macron said “nothing can justify targeting civilians”. ... President of Finland Sauli Niinisto condemned attacks on civilians, saying they “are reprehensible.” ... President Joe Biden said he was “outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion” and “the terrible loss of life that resulted”. ”   

While this is going on, Human Rights Watch is investigating and documenting war crimes, beginning with the initial attack by a violent extremist group on 7th October. See [Content Warning - graphic violence is obscured/covered, but it is clear enough what is happening]: 

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

  • this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

  • there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  • I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk.



 

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