Netanyahu tells Israel ‘We are at war’ after Hamas launches an unprecedented attack, killing at leas

Israel finds a large weapons manufacturing site underground in Gaza, the largest found to date. It produces long-range missiles and mortar shells. Think about it: if the U.S. protesters had their way and persuaded Israel to stop their "war" on Gaza, this weapons factory would not be found and would be back in operation in a week, and the missiles could fly again any time after that.

Israeli forces say they locate large underground weapons factory in Gaza

 

Israel knows where Hamas leader is but he is insulated by hostages

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-k...-but-wont-strike-because-of-hostages-reports/

 

They need to stay the course until it's done, if the Palestine's really wanted this to end, they would help root out these animals. I blame most of them as much as I blame the terrorist varmints that they're obviously protecting and supporting. They're the ones to blame for their fellow citizens being killed.

 

The IDF can't root out Hamas, but you think the Palestinians can? There's inherently a lack of motivation as Gazan civilians are rushing around everywhere trying to save as many civilian lives as they can, whilst having no electricity, no running water and extremely scarce supplies. But you expect them to do what the IDF hasn't been able to? All the while Israel continues to hammer apartment bloc after apartment bloc, but you want the Palestinians to help the IDF? It is pretty crazy the leaps you have to make mentally to be okay with what is going on in Gaza right now.

 

The Palestinians could easily tell the IDF where to look, and what to look for, assuming that they do not support Hamas. It's not that difficult to pick up a phone and dial it, and then start talking. I don't think anyone expects Palestinians to go into Hamas strongholds with guns blasting. The lack of motivation to help IDF is either related to fear of Hamas (they are terrorists) or tacit support for the things that Hamas is fighting for (extermination of Israel and its people).

 

U.N. Agency Teachers Cheered Hamas as October Attack Unfolded, Called for Execution of Jews in Group Chat (msn.com)

Teachers working for the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) cheered as Hamas terrorists raped and murdered Israelis on October 7, according to recently divulged transcripts of a UNRWA Gaza online group.

More than 3,000 UNRWA teachers in Gaza belong to the social media group, which is hosted on the instant messaging platform Telegram and was exposed by the watchdog group UN Watch. The digital forum contains posts celebrating the massacre of October 7 just moments after it began.

UNRWA teacher Waseem Ula — username “A. Handsome” — administers the chat. Ula has posted information on salaries from UNRWA Gaza education chief Sami Abu Kamil. He has also called for the execution of Jews: “Let’s execute the first settler lives near [sic].”

At one point in the chat, Ula informs the group’s 3,000 UNRWA teachers that “salaries will be paid on Sunday.” Later on, he shares a video glorifying Hamas attacks and posts a photo of a suicide bomb vest wired with explosives, with the caption: “Wait, sons of Judaism.” Ula also praised terrorist Akran Abu Hasanen who died during the October 7 attack as a “Qassami martyr,” “friend” and “brother.” He prayed to Allah to “admit him to paradise without judgment.”

 

Interesting story: apparently, one of the main sources of explosives for Hamas weapons is Israel. Unexploded ordinance is one of the main sources for Hamas. I did not realize that up to 10-15% of some kinds of munitions fail to detonate on impact (it sounds like bomb fuses have not gotten any better since WWII). It is worse in this case because Israel has been using a lot of leftover munitions from the Vietnam War. One 750-lb that fails to detonate can provide explosives for hundreds of missiles or rockets. Israel has been enforcing a blockade on Palestinian territories since 2007 to limit the import of things that could be used to make explosives.

Where Is Hamas Getting Its Weapons? Increasingly, From Israel.

 

Not completely surprising considering that unexploded US ordinance was used to make IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan and going back over 50 years by the Viet Cong in Vietnam.

 

Brings new meaning to the phrase, "violence begets violence."

 

Someone will have to explain to me the continued building out of new Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Isn't the idea that the West Bank is the defacto future Palestinian state? So there are new Israeli settlements being set up there and then some of the settlers are ambushing innocent Palestinians. There are now numerous pro-Hamas demonstrations breaking out in the West Bank, whereas before Oct 7th, this would not have been heard of as the PLA would have squelched such demonstrations in the West Bank. Now, they allow the pro-Hamas flags to fly in support.

Israel are going to be left with two very pro-Hamas states to their west and east. Thousands of new Hamas fighters are being recruited as we speak. We know they'll seek revenge. What's the end game for Israel here? If terrorism was a problem before, it's a given now. Well done, Israel, for helping breed a new generation of terrorists on each side of your border. Just a matter of time before Abbas is tossed and a pro-Hamas government is in power in the West Bank.

 

Hamas is or was the elected government of the West Bank. I pity all civilians in the area but it’s hard to find an armed person I support.

 

I think you are confusing the West Bank with Gaza. The PLA is the elected government in the West Bank. The PLA was the elected government in Gaza until Hamas expelled them, which tells you how much sentiment has changed in the West Bank in the past 4 months.

 

Your right I got confused about the tiny piece of land all this killing is over.

 

Religion is awesome, isn't it?

 

I thought the majority of the explosives used in Iraq were from the 2-square-mile weapons cache that was guarded by 12 soldiers, who watched insurgents drive up in pickup trucks and drive off with tons of explosives without firing a shot. Around 377 tons of high explosives were in the cache, plus more regular explosives. If it only takes less than a hundredth of a ton (20 lbs) to make an IED, that's 38,000 IED's right there (several times the number of soldiers that were killed in Iraq).

It could have cost GWB the 2004 election, if the White House didn't lie about it.

Al Qa'qaa high explosives controversy - Wikipedia

 

The sources of explosives (primarily from repurposed artillery shells) for the overwhelming majority of IEDs were from that weapons cache as well as other weapons depots of the former Iraqi military. While we had more than enough troops to defeat the Iraqi military we didn't have nearly enough to secure all of Saddam's weapons depots. That doesn't mean that at least some albeit a relatively small percentage were not from unexploded US ordinance.

 

As of January 19th, per EuroMed Monitor.