Facebook has been allowing propaganda about civilian deaths on their platform. Apparently it is either their politics or they fall for it on "compassionate grounds". lol
If Israel will continue to tell the world community to "pound sand" Hamas might win the PR war, but they will do it posthumously. Where are the "down with the 1%" people??? The three top people are all billionaires that have no skin in the game, because they are sitting far from the fighting.... kind of like our politicians. Great analysis as usual.
No, her approach is part of this problem and will eventually turn more of the world against Israel just as it did after the Munich response (killing a waiter in Sweden due to a case of mistaken identity probably did not help). See the widows of Beslan for another example.
Unless you are suggesting genocide and that Israel should eliminate every single Palastinian?
Even if that is what you are suggesting (which is not likely), then there are still too many Palistinians abroad to make that practicle.
Hi Ryan, in the RPG tank attack where the Hamas guy first places a charge on the tank, at the end of that video, is that the Hamas guy walking around after the battle, and picking up debris. If so, they don't show any tank or destroyed equipment. To me, that would suggest the tank moved on, and was not badly damaged, or it was easily recovered and taken back. Both would indicate the attack did not really destroy the tank, and was unsuccessful..
Thank you for the video and for the thoughtful analysis. I think you are absolutely right: the bigger war is being fought in the information space, just as it is in Ukraine. The problem is that the Israelis---unlike the Ukrainians---do not realize this fact. Israel can reduce Gaza to rubble and actually strengthen their enemy, creating worldwide sympathy and recruitment for Hamas outside of Gaza and outside of Israel (especially in the Middle East, but not only). I feel that the only way to counteract this is to offer the Palestinians a future much better than what they have had for the past 18 years. This is no small task because Israel will have to make a Grozny / Mariupol of Gaza to find and destroy Hamas and the tunnel system. Each battle Israel wins on the ground is a battle lost in the information war unless Israel shows the world that they have a better way for Gaza than just destroying people's homes and making them stateless refugees.
Excellent video as always; reminded me of the propaganda videos put out by Iraqi insurgents about "Jubaa Snipers," if I'm correctly recalling. No ready answers for where was the supporting infantry & why was the tank completely buttoned up. I recall a previous IDF SOP that TCs had to be in an open hatch. Perhaps that changed. Hopefully, the crew only sustained minor injuries and the vehicle was recoverable (I was an Ordnance guy aftercall.)
Ironic that Hamas' opening act was the wholesale massacre of innocents, their second act was blaming IDF when their own short round impacted in a hospital parking lot, and now they are winning the propaganda war.
For events such as this I tend to apply the concept of “not dead until I see a body”, with the prevalence of drones in the area why wouldn’t they show the wreckage of a k-kill for additional propaganda; a sort of “look at what we did to that tank” instead of leaving ambiguity. The only reason I could think of to leave it ambiguous is that the debate might spread the propaganda further, but I don’t think they are playing that level of chess yet.
I would like to see a video going over the Israeli bulldozer tactics. The bulldozers seem to be an integral part of the battle plan in a unique way that I have never seen before. If you are operating in disadvantageous terrain, just modify the terrain with a bulldozer!
I do think, Hamas is not the leadership that is going to bring a homeland to the Palestinians. They were just the most bold and "Hey if we do this and get away with it, we'll be seen by the world as the leaders for a Palestinian homeland!" Which means money and donations and even respect. Other groups of Palestinians have been working peacefully, diligently and through diplomacy to get the best deal for Palestinians. Palestinians live around the world, even the Queen of Jordan has a Palestinian background. They are educated, hard working, supportive of Palestinians having their own territory and horrified by the way Hamas started this conflict. As one neighbor said to me, "This wasn't just dumping tea in the harbor." (His family want to go back to live in a homeland, but for now his kids attend college here). Is this Palestinian propaganda? or Hamas? It's fine to like the intentions of the Palestinians, and dislike how some have chosen to grab world attention.
Gaza WAS a Palestinian homeland. It was inhabited by Palestinians and only Palestinians and governed by a duly elected Palestinian government.
I'm sure that many Palestinians are peaceful and hardworking, but they let their government start a war with their neighbor. And many of them cheered after Oct 7th.
Israel cannot continue to allow Hamas to retain power in Gaza and continue to attack and kill Israelis. Since the Palestinians in Gaza were unwilling to do something about their corrupt and murderous government, it has been left to Israel to do something about it. There will be innocent Palestinians killed. That's what happens in war. Hundreds of thousands of innocent Germans and Japanese civilians died in WWII.
There is a distinct difference between Hamas and Israel. Hamas deliberately targets civilians. Israel does not. But Hamas intentionally places legitimate military targets in civilian buildings and neighborhoods, which puts their own civilians at risk. They have weapons caches in mosques, hospitals, and schools. This is why Geneva conventions prohibit placing military targets in civilian areas. Because these buildings then become legitimate military targets. When Israel destroys them, it will result in civilian deaths. Every single one of these deaths are the responsibility of Hamas.
I have spoken to a reasonable number of Palestinians living in the west. I have yet to encounter one that would accept a two state solution except as a stepping stone to a homogenous Muslim monoculture. The moderates say that Jews may leave alive after they pay compensation (the entirety of their property). Majority desire utter extermination. Ask the man you met how he describes his views when with other Palestinians. If he keeps that view you found a gem that I have yet to encounter. When I dig in, I typically hear that the version of history they believe is a sort of paradise like nation of good and kind Muslims allowed in (out of kind generosity) some Jews then an army of Jews invaded and the ones they let in before stabbed them in their sleep then burned all the mosques and raped the babies. When I try to break down the claims with logic (an example is an image of Palestinian money from 1947 with “Anglo -Palestinian bank” written on it in English then Hebrew then Arabic, they typically become angry similar to a cult member being confronted with information about reverend Moon. Recently I asked someone if they thought it was a good idea to let children play the game “stab a Jew”. The answer was “it’s just a game”. However I feel that given the entirety of the dehumanization of Jews (and now all infidel in the new Hamas ultra extremist Islam ), I have lost hope and await a new large scale war.
I agree. The only thing between Israel and a Holocaust is power. They have lost the info wars and UK, Italy, Germany, etc. Are on a trajectory for majority voting pro Hamas.
If the audiences for videos soliciting sympathy for the Palestinian people and videos displaying hype jihadi propaganda were represented in a venn diagram, the diagram would be two circles side by side.
Ryan, one video posted recently was a critique of IDF soldiers seemingly detaining a civilian, and some people arguing it was proof of IDF's use of human shields. I think you dismissed the proposition using respectable logic, but I was wondering if you have heard of "Breaking the Silence" a left-leaning news outlet founded by IDF soldiers who have claimed that the IDF teaches the "neighbor procedure," "ambassador procedure" or "procedure of many names" (banned by Israeli court in 2005, some reports of use to this day hence the name changing); a tactic that essentially uses civilians as shields in a similar manner as the video you posted and how that might factor in to your assessment?
If I was in Gaza as enemy I would choose cover over standing by a Hamas prisoner. I doubt Hamas would hesitate to martyr one of their own not to mention a rifle at 100 yards can easily select target.
I was wondering the same thing. I can understand not putting infantry outside given tunnel pop ups but why not add cheap drone cameras and have motion detection armed on the camera view? Upon detecting motion you could swing guns or even pop smoke. I must compliment the jihadist for hand placement of the charge. But if instead of a random blast charge had he placed an RG anti tank grenade with a magnet attached he would have killed the tank. I recall reading a Viet Nam story about guys moving in APC where tunnel attacks had occurred. They kept firing into any cover and when areas looked risky threw smoke. Sure you have only so much ammo but it sounded good to me.
Facebook has been allowing propaganda about civilian deaths on their platform. Apparently it is either their politics or they fall for it on "compassionate grounds". lol
No, it's their politics. Reddit is pretty bad too
If Israel will continue to tell the world community to "pound sand" Hamas might win the PR war, but they will do it posthumously. Where are the "down with the 1%" people??? The three top people are all billionaires that have no skin in the game, because they are sitting far from the fighting.... kind of like our politicians. Great analysis as usual.
Golda had the right idea after Munich.
No, her approach is part of this problem and will eventually turn more of the world against Israel just as it did after the Munich response (killing a waiter in Sweden due to a case of mistaken identity probably did not help). See the widows of Beslan for another example.
Unless you are suggesting genocide and that Israel should eliminate every single Palastinian?
Even if that is what you are suggesting (which is not likely), then there are still too many Palistinians abroad to make that practicle.
Hi Ryan, in the RPG tank attack where the Hamas guy first places a charge on the tank, at the end of that video, is that the Hamas guy walking around after the battle, and picking up debris. If so, they don't show any tank or destroyed equipment. To me, that would suggest the tank moved on, and was not badly damaged, or it was easily recovered and taken back. Both would indicate the attack did not really destroy the tank, and was unsuccessful..
Thank you for the video and for the thoughtful analysis. I think you are absolutely right: the bigger war is being fought in the information space, just as it is in Ukraine. The problem is that the Israelis---unlike the Ukrainians---do not realize this fact. Israel can reduce Gaza to rubble and actually strengthen their enemy, creating worldwide sympathy and recruitment for Hamas outside of Gaza and outside of Israel (especially in the Middle East, but not only). I feel that the only way to counteract this is to offer the Palestinians a future much better than what they have had for the past 18 years. This is no small task because Israel will have to make a Grozny / Mariupol of Gaza to find and destroy Hamas and the tunnel system. Each battle Israel wins on the ground is a battle lost in the information war unless Israel shows the world that they have a better way for Gaza than just destroying people's homes and making them stateless refugees.
How does HAMAS release their propaganda? Is it via their telegram or do they have a dedicated team that spreads it through multiple channels?
They were on Telegram, but their main channel got shut down. I suspect that they created new channels.
I saw an article today where some of the still images being shared as explosions in Gaza are actually AI generated pieces.
Somebody get Ryan a comb.
Well done by the IDF/ Rafael.
Their APS works well in most of the cases.
Salutations:
Excellent video as always; reminded me of the propaganda videos put out by Iraqi insurgents about "Jubaa Snipers," if I'm correctly recalling. No ready answers for where was the supporting infantry & why was the tank completely buttoned up. I recall a previous IDF SOP that TCs had to be in an open hatch. Perhaps that changed. Hopefully, the crew only sustained minor injuries and the vehicle was recoverable (I was an Ordnance guy aftercall.)
Ironic that Hamas' opening act was the wholesale massacre of innocents, their second act was blaming IDF when their own short round impacted in a hospital parking lot, and now they are winning the propaganda war.
For events such as this I tend to apply the concept of “not dead until I see a body”, with the prevalence of drones in the area why wouldn’t they show the wreckage of a k-kill for additional propaganda; a sort of “look at what we did to that tank” instead of leaving ambiguity. The only reason I could think of to leave it ambiguous is that the debate might spread the propaganda further, but I don’t think they are playing that level of chess yet.
I would like to see a video going over the Israeli bulldozer tactics. The bulldozers seem to be an integral part of the battle plan in a unique way that I have never seen before. If you are operating in disadvantageous terrain, just modify the terrain with a bulldozer!
I do think, Hamas is not the leadership that is going to bring a homeland to the Palestinians. They were just the most bold and "Hey if we do this and get away with it, we'll be seen by the world as the leaders for a Palestinian homeland!" Which means money and donations and even respect. Other groups of Palestinians have been working peacefully, diligently and through diplomacy to get the best deal for Palestinians. Palestinians live around the world, even the Queen of Jordan has a Palestinian background. They are educated, hard working, supportive of Palestinians having their own territory and horrified by the way Hamas started this conflict. As one neighbor said to me, "This wasn't just dumping tea in the harbor." (His family want to go back to live in a homeland, but for now his kids attend college here). Is this Palestinian propaganda? or Hamas? It's fine to like the intentions of the Palestinians, and dislike how some have chosen to grab world attention.
Gaza WAS a Palestinian homeland. It was inhabited by Palestinians and only Palestinians and governed by a duly elected Palestinian government.
I'm sure that many Palestinians are peaceful and hardworking, but they let their government start a war with their neighbor. And many of them cheered after Oct 7th.
Israel cannot continue to allow Hamas to retain power in Gaza and continue to attack and kill Israelis. Since the Palestinians in Gaza were unwilling to do something about their corrupt and murderous government, it has been left to Israel to do something about it. There will be innocent Palestinians killed. That's what happens in war. Hundreds of thousands of innocent Germans and Japanese civilians died in WWII.
There is a distinct difference between Hamas and Israel. Hamas deliberately targets civilians. Israel does not. But Hamas intentionally places legitimate military targets in civilian buildings and neighborhoods, which puts their own civilians at risk. They have weapons caches in mosques, hospitals, and schools. This is why Geneva conventions prohibit placing military targets in civilian areas. Because these buildings then become legitimate military targets. When Israel destroys them, it will result in civilian deaths. Every single one of these deaths are the responsibility of Hamas.
I have spoken to a reasonable number of Palestinians living in the west. I have yet to encounter one that would accept a two state solution except as a stepping stone to a homogenous Muslim monoculture. The moderates say that Jews may leave alive after they pay compensation (the entirety of their property). Majority desire utter extermination. Ask the man you met how he describes his views when with other Palestinians. If he keeps that view you found a gem that I have yet to encounter. When I dig in, I typically hear that the version of history they believe is a sort of paradise like nation of good and kind Muslims allowed in (out of kind generosity) some Jews then an army of Jews invaded and the ones they let in before stabbed them in their sleep then burned all the mosques and raped the babies. When I try to break down the claims with logic (an example is an image of Palestinian money from 1947 with “Anglo -Palestinian bank” written on it in English then Hebrew then Arabic, they typically become angry similar to a cult member being confronted with information about reverend Moon. Recently I asked someone if they thought it was a good idea to let children play the game “stab a Jew”. The answer was “it’s just a game”. However I feel that given the entirety of the dehumanization of Jews (and now all infidel in the new Hamas ultra extremist Islam ), I have lost hope and await a new large scale war.
It’s hopeless... there needs to be a huge, impenetrable wall regardless of any solution.
I agree. The only thing between Israel and a Holocaust is power. They have lost the info wars and UK, Italy, Germany, etc. Are on a trajectory for majority voting pro Hamas.
If the audiences for videos soliciting sympathy for the Palestinian people and videos displaying hype jihadi propaganda were represented in a venn diagram, the diagram would be two circles side by side.
Ryan, one video posted recently was a critique of IDF soldiers seemingly detaining a civilian, and some people arguing it was proof of IDF's use of human shields. I think you dismissed the proposition using respectable logic, but I was wondering if you have heard of "Breaking the Silence" a left-leaning news outlet founded by IDF soldiers who have claimed that the IDF teaches the "neighbor procedure," "ambassador procedure" or "procedure of many names" (banned by Israeli court in 2005, some reports of use to this day hence the name changing); a tactic that essentially uses civilians as shields in a similar manner as the video you posted and how that might factor in to your assessment?
If I was in Gaza as enemy I would choose cover over standing by a Hamas prisoner. I doubt Hamas would hesitate to martyr one of their own not to mention a rifle at 100 yards can easily select target.
Didn't consider that, good point and I agree that case seems more likely.
It looks like that last AFV was a Namer, due to the armored glass, different hull bulge, and what appeared to be the silhouette of the RWS.
It certainly appears the APS went off - it didn't look right for a penetration.
I thought they had remote guns operated from the inside. Why are they not cutting anyone approaching the tank in two?
I was wondering the same thing. I can understand not putting infantry outside given tunnel pop ups but why not add cheap drone cameras and have motion detection armed on the camera view? Upon detecting motion you could swing guns or even pop smoke. I must compliment the jihadist for hand placement of the charge. But if instead of a random blast charge had he placed an RG anti tank grenade with a magnet attached he would have killed the tank. I recall reading a Viet Nam story about guys moving in APC where tunnel attacks had occurred. They kept firing into any cover and when areas looked risky threw smoke. Sure you have only so much ammo but it sounded good to me.