more information - https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/factbox-gaza-lies-in-ruins-after-15-month-israeli-war/3459197

More than 15 months of relentless Israeli bombardment have laid waste to the Gaza Strip and caused unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

The brutal war has been brought to a halt on Jan. 19 under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza.

According to Palestinian figures, the Israeli army has dropped over 100,000 tons of explosives across Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, destroying and damaging around 88% of the territory’s infrastructure and buildings.

Nearly $38 billion will be needed to rebuild the Palestinian enclave after the Israeli war.

Destroyed buildings

The Israeli army destroyed 161,600 housing units and severely damaged 81,000 others, rendering them uninhabitable, while 194,000 housing units were partially damaged, according to figures released by Gaza’s government media office.
Israel also destroyed 216 government buildings, 42 sports facilities and 137 schools and universities, while 357 schools and universities were partially damaged.
At least 34 hospitals were also damaged and forced out of service by Israeli attacks, while 162 health facilities were targeted during the course of the war.
Worship houses were not even spared as 832 mosques were destroyed, and 158 others damaged while three churches sustained damage.
The Israeli army also destroyed 206 archaeological and heritage sites and 19 cemeteries in the enclave.

Infrastructure

Israel destroyed some 330,000 linear meters of Gaza’s water networks, according to Palestinian authorities.
Some 665,000 linear meters of Gaza’s sewage and sanitation networks were also destroyed in Israeli attacks.
According to Gaza’s government media office, Israeli airstrikes also destroyed over 3,680 linear kilometers of the electricity network in the enclave.
As for roads, the Israeli army bulldozed and destroyed over 2.8 million linear meters of Gaza’s paved streets and roads.
At least 47,000 Palestinians were killed, mostly women and children, and over 110,700 others injured in the Israeli war since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar

This post was edited by ferdia on Jul 17 2025 10:56am

sry for double post, returning to the hostages piece -

First Tranche of Hostages Released (~105) — Late 2023 / Early 2024

Date: Between late 2023 and early 2024 (exact dates vary by individual release groups)
Number: Approximately 105 hostages
Demographics:

~81 Israeli women and children
1 Russian-Israeli man
24 foreign nationals from various countries
Age range: Mostly women and children, spanning infants to elderly (exact ages mostly undisclosed)
Sex: Majority female and children; a few adult males

Reported Condition:

Many reported they were treated “relatively well” by Hamas captors compared to expectations
No verified reports of sexual abuse or extreme physical abuse during captivity
Some psychological trauma expected given the circumstances, but no widespread reports of torture

2. Contrasting Narratives: Palestinian Dehumanization vs Hostage Treatment

Israeli Official / Public Rhetoric:
Palestinians often referred to in harsh, dehumanizing terms: “terrorists,” “orcs,” “barbarians,” or worse by certain officials and public figures.
This language feeds a narrative that Palestinians are less than human and justifies harsh military and police actions.
Public discourse often conflates Hamas militants with the Palestinian civilian population, contributing to collective punishment rationalization.

Reality of Hostage Treatment:

Released hostages describe comparatively humane treatment by Hamas captors, despite the conditions.
No widespread evidence to support Israeli claims of systematic torture or sexual abuse of hostages by Hamas.
Some hostages even report moments of kindness or normalcy.
Treatment of Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Custody:
Documented reports of severe abuses, including torture and sexual violence (e.g., the Sde Teiman detention camp incident).
Allegations of collective punishment, poor detention conditions, and lack of due process.
Protests from parts of Israeli society supporting abusive behavior toward Palestinian prisoners.
Clear double standards emerge: Palestinians routinely face harsh, sometimes inhumane conditions, while Israeli captives by Hamas are treated with a degree of humanity.

Shani Louk and the others paraded around on video would probably argue with you… oh they can’t. They were raped, murdered , tortured and mutilated.

Shani Nicole Louk was a 22‑year‑old German‑Israeli tattoo artist and social media influencer, who became tragically emblematic of the horrors unfolding during the Hamas terror attack on the Supernova (also known as Nova) music festival near Re’im, Israel, on October 7, 2023. At the festival: Shani was at the outdoor trance‑music gathering when Hamas militants stormed the venue, killing hundreds and taking hostages. Video footage of her body—semi‑clad and motionless—being paraded in the back of a pickup truck through Gaza became one of the most disturbing and viral images of the attack, disgusting the entire world. Her family held onto hope for weeks, with Shani’s mother, Ricarda, even believing she might be hospitalized in Gaza. Israeli and German officials treated her as a hostage. On October 30, 2023, forensic experts discovered a fragment of her skull with matching DNA, leading to the sad confirmation that she had died during the attack. Israeli forces recovered Shani’s body from a tunnel in Gaza on May 17, 2024. A funeral was held in Srigim on May 19, bringing closure to her grieving family.

Born February 7, 2001, to an Israeli father and German mother, she spent early years in Portland, Oregon, later settling in Tel Aviv. She was a free‑spirited pacifist who opted out of Israel’s mandatory military service due to her dual citizenship. Passionate about music and art, she built a following as an Instagram influencer (13k+ followers) and TikToker, and worked as a freelance tattoo artist. Close friends described her as creative, joyful, and loving life. Family and partner: She lived with her partner, Orión Hernández Radoux, a Franco‑Mexican festival producer—also taken that day and believed to still be held hostage. Shani’s family has turned her artistic talent into a memorial: exhibitions of her sketches (“Forever Young Forever Art”) and tattoos honoring her spirit have been held in Tel Aviv.

Her tragic image became a symbol of civilian suffering and brutality in the October 7 attack, drawing global outrage against Hamas disgusting and inhumane acts.

If your going to refute me with a name, the least you could do is this. My understanding is her name was included in all figures when quoting hostage numbers, both in the initial 233 number and later in the 251 number.

This post was edited by ferdia on Jul 18 2025 02:26am

(Ignoring the weird article copy/paste)

This is what we know:

1. 148 “Oct 7th” hostages have been returned alive

2. 50 are still unaccounted for(Israel believes 27 of that 50 are dead).

3. That means 53 are for sure dead (possibly 80-103).

4. If 80-103 end up dying that is a HUGE percentage of maltreatment due to flat out heinous crimes or simply neglect by not keeping your prisoners in a safe secure area. That’s BEFORE you interview the survivors and ask them how they were treated. Obviously with each one of them saying it was bad the percentages go up.

5. On Shani Louk. If she died during a “terrorist attack” on civilians she was still a hostage regardless. Unless we are assuming a “free-spirited pacifist” decided to fight men with guns. Also over 30 children died on Oct 7th as well(hopefully they are counted too since I don’t view children as “enemy combatants”.

thank you for posting. One of the issues in this thread is that there is not enough rationale debate from both sides of the argument. I dont take criticism negatively, i welcome it. I also do not see the need to refute or contrast anything of what you said. So far i posted about the number of hostages, and the 1st tranche released. if i get time today or over the weekend I will go over the next tranche and yes i would welcome your contributions.

Here is a good video into the mindset of Pro-Israeli English Military. It made me re-evaluate the BBC. While the BBC is criticized for not showing the Doctor's under Fire Documentary, Gary Lineker's Exit and the silence related to UK involvement in the destruction of gaza (not exclusively the military aid including the RAF involvement) I had a moment of reflection when I noted how Pro-Israeli viewed the BBC.



This post was edited by ferdia on Jul 18 2025 11:49am

Did you see how Arab media is suddenly accusing the Druze of committing genocide? It’s unbelievable. The Druze are actually defending themselves after Islamist forces stormed their villages with tanks, slaughtered civilians, raped women, and opened fire on innocent people.

And this isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a repeated pattern in the Arab world. They attack you brutally, then scream that you are the one killing them. The worst part? The media falls for it every time and broadcasts the lie without checking the facts. Classic reversal of roles.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMQHRGyomxy/?igsh=MXJoemYyYWNmYzFt

As you know it has taken me a long time to fully understand Israel. I know we disagree on Israeli internal policy (i say gaza and the west bank are part of israel, ergo internal). We can both accept we dont see eye to eye. So with that out of the way - I do not fully understand anything about Syria. As I understand it (and sorry if this seems very basic, i simply dont know how better to outline):

HTS and ISIS were founded in 2012 and 2013 respectively, with HTS deemed not as brutal (but still BAD). HTS was primarily concentrated in and concerned with Syria. HTS wanted Syria to be an Arab led country, specifically, it aims for strict Sharia law rather than secular nationalism (think - they want to be a very conservative religious country, similar to how Israel wants to be a country for the Jewish people). The US purposely looked the other way when Turkey and Saudi Arabia supported HTS, which culminated in HTS ousting Assad who was a Pro-Russian/Pro-Iranian leader in the region. With Assad removed, Russia and Iran's abilities in the country are now greatly diminished. The US formally removed HTS from its sanctions list on the 8th July 2025 (you know i cant help my self when I add - > ) one day before adding Francesca Albanese, the Palestinian UN Rapporteur to the sanctions list...

Moving swiftly on...!! ...the Druze are an ethnic minority in the region (i.e. in multiple countries in the region) and notably, the Druze in Israel are fully integrated and contributing to Israel society in a positive way. Meanwhile, following the fall of Assad, the Syrian Government is doing its regional thing - killing alot of people and being generally bad actors, and is defacto supporting HTS which is oppressing and suppressing (read: killing) the Druze minority. Israel, on viewing this, is a vocal critic and is actively supporting the Druze in Syria (missiles and stuff).

Feel free to correct any of that (apart from my UN girl please, lets agree to skip over that ok?)

Reply if you can, i am trying to figure out how Israel and the US are going to juggle this issue. if you have insights im all ears.

This post was edited by ferdia on Jul 18 2025 02:34pm

The Druze are being targeted simply for being Druze not for being bad actors.
And what we’re seeing on the ground leaves us no choice but to act.
My point is this: radical Muslim forces launch brutal attacks, then when they’re pushed back, they cry genocide and the world falls for it.

I am not