[wat0n]

Exactly, IDF presence on the Gazan side of Rafah should make it harder to misappropriate aid. Who knows, maybe this will actually make aid deliveries easier.

[Pants-of-dog]

This attack on the crossing and on other parts of Rafah comes shortly after Hamas accepted a truce deal.

Apparently, the IDF and Israeli government are more interested in killing Palestinians through bombings and famine than in releasing hostages or protecting lives.

[wat0n]

As it turns out the truce deal Hamas accepted was different from the one Israel accepted.

One major difference is that the hostages Hamas would release on phase 1 could be dead or alive, whereas Israel had agreed to only releasing living hostages.

It seems @Pants-of-dog has no problem with taking hostages and raping them, and has no issues with the continuance of this behavior.

[Pants-of-dog]

Becuase of the fact that the IDF and Israeli government have cornered civilians in Rafah prior to bombing and shooting them, the UK and the USA are both (despite being staunch allies) facing internal demands on their governments to stop all aid to Israel. A US comgressperson even wants the ICC to put out an arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

[wat0n]

Israel has not entered Rafah, for now it has just taken the crossing. For all we know, this may end here. Who knows.

[Pants-of-dog]

Israeli forces entered Rafah to take over the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing. This was done as planes bombed the city, with the usual killing of children and non-combatants that accompanies every IDF engagement.

[wat0n]

Yet the IDF has not entered the city thus far. I suspect the next step will be to fully secure the border with Egypt, then encircle Rafah, then evacuate civilians. Then we'll see what happens.

[Pants-of-dog]

The Rafah border crossing seems to be in the south end of the city, cutting off the main source (and only land source) for humanitarian aid.

The executive director of the World Food Programme has stated that there is full blown famine in Gaza. She used the word “horror” to describe the situation.

[wat0n]

...And that's why one would expect to see the IDF becoming more involved in humanitarian operations in Rafah, since it controls the Gazan side of the crossing now.

[Pants-of-dog]

As far as I can tell, the only condition that Hamas has not agreed to is to allow the IDF to destroy Hamas.

[wat0n]

Hamas offered to release hostages "dead or alive" in phase 1, Israel wants them to release living hostages first (so Hamas doesn't execute whatever hostages it still controls). This is a legitimate demand.

It is also quite evident Hamas cannot remain in power in Gaza as is. But securing hostages comes first.

[Pants-of-dog]

If the IDF and Israeli government wanted hostages alive so much, they should stop killing them.

[wat0n]

Pressure on Hamas was quite effective in getting them to release 100 hostages. And Israel also showed it can rescue them.

It's interesting though. It seems that for @Pants-of-dog kidnapping people, torturing and executing them is wrong if done by Pinochet to Chilean communists but it seems to be just fine if it's Palestinians doing it to Israelis or just Jews.

[Pants-of-dog]

So Israel does not want all the hostages. This confirms my precious claim that the IDF and Israeli government prefer the hostages to be in captivity so as to use them as a pretext for the war.

[wat0n]

In reality, Israel would still have a great reason to still fight the war - seek justice for and no repetition of October 7. That is good enough.

[Pants-of-dog]

Zionists also want another October 7.

Again, this is (as mentioned) seen as a great justification for killing tens of thousands of Palestinians, only a small portion of which are combatants.

This is why the IDF and Israeli government are not only perpetuating the conditions that led to October 7, but also exacerbating them.

[wat0n]

Oh now I bet @Pants-of-dog will go for the tinfoil hat conspiracy theory angle that October 7 was in fact deliberately facilitated by Israel.

[Pants-of-dog]

The fact that the IDF and Israeli government were killing many civilians per day before October 7 is probably reason enough for October 7.

[wat0n]

Are you trying to claim October 7 was a form of legitimate resistance, @Pants-of-dog?

[Pants-of-dog]

The defenders of the war think killing civilians every day is legitimate.

What response can be expected from a people if you keep killing some of those people each day?