Now that the Ashli hospital flap is over, the media must prepare for a story that will be difficult to navigate. The Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City is also the command center for Hamas. At some point, it will be an Israeli target. A legitimate military target, per the laws of war
There will be massive information operations when this command center is targeted. Al-Jazeera and others will lead the charge. They will ignore that Mohammed Deif & Yahya Sinwar are there, among other Hamas military . I strongly recommend reporters start gathering facts now.
Among other things, media should gather info on the underground of the al-Shifa compound, Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar, American human shields legislation, NATO-UN views on human shields & Hamas info ops.
War is ugly. This very predictable episode will only underscore that.
And just to remind folks: after an utter media failure, in which multiple outlets mistakenly reported an Israeli war crime, there has been a total revision based on facts that contradict the original erroneous reporting.
There will be a next time. It can’t be more clear: Shifa.
Also worth noting, Israel will not have much of a choice when the Shifa moment arrives. Hamas will fight brutally to the end, and it will fight behind civilians. This is a dynamic that cannot be ignored. Al-Shifa will be the eye of the storm.
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Americans will wake up today & learn that Hamas murdered another 6 Israeli hostages, including one American-Israeli whose story was highlighted at the DNC.
Some thoughts to follow that will *not* focus on the heartbreak/trauma in Israel.
Let’s focus on who bears responsibility.
First, let’s all acknowledge that this war is not just Hamas vs Israel. Hamas is an Iranian tool. The group was trained, funded and armed by Iran.
Iran should be held to account for all of it, including but not only for the crimes against American citizens.
But it’s not just Iran.
Qatar is a not a neutral player, as it claims.
Qatar is a major financial patron and HQ for Hamas
Qatar should be stripped of its status as a US ally. It should be labeled a state sponsor of terror.
In 2014, Arouri claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and killing of 3 teens in the West Bank. That Hamas operation led to a 51-day war between Hamas and Israel.
I've just put my Turkey in the oven. So, it's now time to revive a Turkey Day tradition.
Something is rotten in Turkey. Lots of things, actually. Let's review.
A thread….
I started watching Turkey's terror activity in 2010. That year Turkey sent a flotilla to Gaza to help the Hamas terrorist organization break out of isolation.
An NGO called IHH organized. IHH is nasty, with all kinds of terror ties. I analyzed here:
IHH is still up to no good. The group recently organized a massive riot at the gates of the Incirilik air base, where US servicemen maintain a base that is crucial to American interests in the Middle East.