Thread by @BtSIsrael

Everyone’s blood is boiling. We all know someone who was murdered, kidnapped, who is still missing. Many are talking about revenge, about erasing Gaza, referring to its residents as “2.5M terrorists,” discussing forcible transfer.

But what's actually happening on the ground?🧵

Gaza has been under an unprecedented bombardment for a month now. In the first two weeks alone, the Israeli Air Force dropped more bombs on Gaza than the US dropped on Afghanistan in an entire year. One explanation is Israel’s genuine need to remove threats to ground forces, >>>

but this doesn’t fully explain the scope of the bombings or their targets.

Our work is based on testimonies given by soldiers. Collecting and verifying these testimonies is a long and complex process, and it will be quite some time before we get a full and accurate picture >>>

of what’s happening on the ground. Still, statements made by senior Israeli officials and the extent of the destruction already raise suspicions that the army is following the same doctrine it used in previous operations: The Dahiya Doctrine.
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The Dahiya Doctrine was formulated around the 2006 Lebanon War. Its main tenet was: disproportionate attacks, including against *civilian* structures and infrastructure.
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If the doctrine is indeed in play here as it appears to be, then the massive bombings on Gaza in recent weeks are deliberately aimed at damaging infrastructure and property belonging to innocent civilians.
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The heavy bombings in the 2006 Lebanon War did not wipe out Hezbollah or neutralize its military capabilities, nor were they supposed to. They were meant to create deterrence. Since then, Hezbollah has grown stronger and is now firing at civilians in northern Israel daily.
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In Lebanon, too, we wreaked massive destruction on civilians to buy temporary calm and nothing more.

Israel also used this doctrine during the last ground invasion of Gaza in 2014. Following the war, Gaza residents returned to neighborhoods that were razed to the ground.
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Journalists and soldiers who took part in the operation described the enormous damage. Politicians and members of the security establishment waxed victorious, claiming we'd "seared the Palestinian conscience", meaning every Palestinian will remember exactly who's in charge, >>>

and won't dare to resist. The last month has proved, once again, that this approach has brought us zero security.

This doctrine is based on the idea of "rounds" of fighting, as they're referred to in Israel. It’s not meant to be decisive, but to postpone >>>

and deter the next, inevitable, round. It looks like our government is choosing to repeat, albeit with greater intensity, what it has unsuccessfully done in previous rounds. The IDF Spokesperson said himself: “The emphasis [during this operation] is on damage and not accuracy.”>>

This doctrine is also immoral, because “searing consciousness” is achieved through widespread civilian destruction. Tens of thousands of homes in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged. Entire neighborhoods have been erased from the map.
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Because under the Dahiya Doctrine, the method is simple: firepower *must* be used disproportionately; and that’s why the result is always the same – pushing the long-term security farther out of reach in favor of a short-term sense of calm.
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Israel went to war because of a criminal, horrific massacre. If we stick to mass civilian destruction in response; if we keep harming a population that has done nothing wrong, a population more than 40% of which is under the age of 15, >>>

our only achievement will be perpetuating the cycle of violence and bloodshed. The number of victims is horrifying - more than 1,400 Israelis and over 10,000 Palestinians. Hasn’t enough blood been spilled?
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And still, the question remains: what will the day after the war look like? How will our government guarantee us all safety and security? Astoundingly, our Cabinet has decided “not to discuss the fate of the Gaza Strip.” That’s a luxury we can’t afford.
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One thing is certain: the answer must take into account a free and safe future for everyone - citizens of Israel, residents of Gaza, and yes, residents of the West Bank too. Otherwise, the next war is only a matter of time.