Satterfield: Hamas's humanitarian policy? it has none.

[Beastly Boy]

Hamas is fundamentally responsible for the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, US Special Envoy David Satterfield told reporters on Tuesday, as he dismissed a question about Hamas's humanitarian policy compared to that of Israel.

"Hamas's humanitarian policy is the opposite of humanitarian. It is to use innocent civilians as shields, as presumed protection for their own facilities, for their own terrorist military forces," he said, as he appeared startled by the comparison.

“The fundamental actor responsible for the suffering here is a terrorist group — Hamas,” explained Satterfield, who is specifically tasked with humanitarian issues relating to Gaza.

“The fighting in Gaza, the suffering of the Palestinian people could end tonight, if Hamas chose to accept the deal for the release of hostages in the establishment of a cease-fire. And that ceasefire could with further releases be sustained.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-798363

[ExciteBike66]

1. Don't let this absolve Israel for bombing kids.

I mean, we could say the same thing about our adventure in Afghanistan. "We had to kill those civilians, if only the taliban had just given up! They are to blame!"

[Beastly Boy]

2. It is not an absolution. It is a reminder.

Something that is getting lost in the barrage of recriminations aimed exclusively at Israel.

[Happy Hoosier]

5. Many people are deparate for a simple good guy/bad guy narrative.

Complexities don't lend themselves well to chants at protests.

[wnylib]

3. Afghanistan and Israel - apples and oranges.

Hamas has built its fortifications, weapons storage, communications and surveillance centers underground in a huge network of tunnels that run beneath civilian centers throughout Gaza. If Israelis enter the tunnels to fight Hamas directly, Hamas will wipe them out with one explosion, which would also wipe out the civilians above the tunnels. Israel bombs them instead. Either way, civilians die because of the tunnels and the way that Hamas fights.

[ExciteBike66]

4. You must be joking

Hamas tunnels are super deep in the ground. Hamas would have to have a nuke down there to harm someone on the surface with an underground detonation.

And anyway, if the hamas fighters are all underground, the idf can just evacuate the area on the surface.

[wnylib]

6. I am far from joking. But I am not surprised at all

by your refusal to acknowledge the role of Hamas tunnels and fighting techniques in the loss of life in this war. No one who opposes Israel in this war will acknowledge it. It detracts from the narrative of Israel as the sole bad guy.

The tunnel depths are 66 to 98 feet. They are dug into sand and reinforced with clay and concrete. Their entrance and exit points are in civilian homes and other buildings as well as being disguised in open areas by brush and chicken wire.

An explosion underground would cause the clay and concrete to crack and crumble in places, disrupting and displacing the sand above them, causing buildings on the surface to sway and collapse.

The buildings with entrances to the tunnels would be the most vulnerable.

Here is a good description of how the tunnels are built, where they are located in regard to civilian homes and facilities, how much they cost, and the role of Iran in the tunnel construction. The cost runs into several million dollars. Some of that money has come from Iran. Malcolm Nance, US terrorism expert, says that some of the money was from international aid donations intended for civilians, diverted by Hamas to construction, maintenance, and equipment for the tunnels.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_tunnel_warfare_in_the_Gaza_Strip#:~:text=Hamas%20used%20electric%20or%20pneumatic,more%20durable%20level%20of%20clay.