So let's summarize:
1. Hamas attacks a music festival, abducting civilians.
2. The civilians are held captive in civilian homes in a densely populated civilian area.
3. Israel executes a successful rescue operation with few casualties.
4. On the way out of the area, hundreds of Hamas fighters...
attack the retreating forces with RPGs while still in a densely populated area, pinning them down.
5. In the ensuing battle, multiple Palestinians are killed.
6. ???
7. It's Israel's fault.
Did I get it right?
Exactly. Apparently there are rules Israel has to follow when trying to rescue hostages from a terrorist organization, but the terrorist organization doesn't have to follow any rules at all. It's infuriating.
“You mean the CRIMINALS get to commit crimes but the LAW ABIDING don’t?”
I mean yeah man. And the criminals don’t get to there’s a whole war about that happening right now that is the subject of this conversation.
Tbh I think even 'war crime' gets people confused with criminality. It's not 'lawbreaking' so much as offenses that are, and are broadly understood to be, just outright evil.
You don't get to do evil things. Not just out of squeamishness, or some noble-minded lawfulness, but because they are evil.
Not kill hundreds of civilians in the process, and I know my family members would absolutely support me on this. Nor would I want that it happen to rescue me if I was a hostage.
I suspect most people are in fact in this camp, because I suspect most people have a sense that it is not morally correct to directly and knowingly kill a lot of innocent people to save your loved one.
I also like - maybe on an emotional level, I'd be willing to do it for the people I love. The thing is that people in that emotional state are not ideal decision makers!
Metric tons worth of popular culture built around the idea that you can kill anyone you want if someone you love gets hurt. Almost nothing in popular culture about the downsides of murder sprees. Maybe not great.
