Media Outlets Can't Get Over The Tactical Brilliance Of Hamas's Use Of Human Shields
Or, as the Washington Post labels it, they've "opted for a tactical withdrawal" and "melted away into the strip's sprawling cities and refugee camps":
But the risks of broadening the campaign are high. Until now, Israeli casualties have been lighter than the military had expected. Six Israeli soldiers have died in five days of ground operations, although only two were killed by Palestinians. The four others died as a result of "friendly fire" incidents. Analysts say that unleashing ground forces in Gazan cities and refugee camps would almost certainly allow Hamas to launch a campaign of urban warfare featuring sniper fire, suicide attacks and car bombs. The death toll would rise on both sides when Israel is already under international pressure to end its offensive. Palestinian health officials say more than 680 people have been killed in Gaza since the operation began, about a third of them women and children, according to the United Nations.
It's a third now? Yesterday it was only 25%. Is this bump coming from the imaginary refugee center that the UN says Israel shelled? Or are they not even bothering to line up their hysterical libels any more? Just throwing things against the wall and seeing what sticks?
The Times Online writeup from a couple days ago covers mostly the same ground, albeit oozing with even more admiration for Hamas's brilliant innovation of using civilian infrastructure to confound a professional army. I wonder why no Western army - even the ones that had to repel invading forces during the total mobilizations of World War I and World War II - ever thought about just blending into the civilian population. Look how well it works!
People are wondering why public supporters of Hamas are unfazed by one video after another...
... showing that Hamas is proud of using human shields. It might have something to do with how media sycophants actually seem to think that this war crime is innovative.
In any case I think we can safely say that anyone who still denies that Hamas uses human shields is beyond convincing. There's a map. An actual, physical map drawn up by Hamas operatives showing how they tried to maximize Palestinian civilian casualties. Israeli soldiers captured the map, translated it on the battlefield, and used it to minimize civilian casualties:
Paratroopers in northern Gaza have uncovered a map prepared by Hamas that shows how the terror group prepared for the IDF's incursion by deploying different types of bombs as well as snipers throughout the town of Atatra. The handwritten map is based on a bird's-eye view of the town, likely taken from Google Maps. On the map, Hamas split the town into three sectors - red, blue and green - and highlighted important sites such as mosques, a gas station and a fuel depot. "On the map, the terrorists also marked sniper positions, as well as the location of roadside bombs, antitank bombs and land mines," Chief Intelligence Officer Brig.-Gen. Yuval Halamish said on Thursday. The map was discovered by soldiers from the Paratroop Brigade during operations in Atatra and was translated in the field and used to minimize casualties. Halamish said the map showed how Hamas does not hesitate to use civilian infrastructure for its terrorist activity. A brown dot marked next to a mosque represents a sniper position.
But Palestinian civilian casualties are Israel's fault. Of course they are.
References:
* Hamas Pulling Back Into Crowded Cities, Beckoning Israelis [WaPo]
* IDF: UN claims of shelling civilian building in Gaza unreasonable [YNet]
* Hamas fighter: 'We fight Israel one day on, one day off' [Times Online]
* Video: Hamas Brags About Using Women And Children As Human Shields [MR]
* IDF unveils Hamas map seized in Gaza [JPost]
Previously:
* Palestinians Use Children As Human Shields, Nobody Notices. Seriously.
* We Are Unimpressed by Amnesty International's Condemnation Of Israel. In Fact, We Think It's Kind of Ugly.
* How Do Palestinians Know Where They're Supposed To Send Human Shields To?
