Israeli Armies Post Videos of Gaza War

In a PR move, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have recently begun posting videos of what they've been encountering in the Hamas resistance in the Gaza strip.

I wish I had more insight into everything that was going on there, because the story is definitely very complicated. Like most conservatives, I lean in the favor of Israel, although I've had some, albeit only a few, conversations with people sympathetic to the Palestinian side and it paints a pretty ugly picture. The thing about it seems to be that when you're dealing with such heightened anxieties due to constant conflict, there is never going to be a clear picture of either side and they'll inevitably paint really ugly pictures of one another.

Anyway, what is disarming are the tactics being employed by Hamas. They are desperate, and Israel learned that the failures of the war in 2006 cannot be repeated simply because their survival depends entirely on the reputation of their military strength. While many cry afoul over the brute force that they have applied, at least they employ every measure possible to avoid the casualties of women and children. They respect the rules of war, while terrorists do not.

This first video here posted by the IDF shows how Hamas wired a zoo and a school with explosives:


And this next one reveals that Hamas is using mosques to hide armaments.

Terrorists are despicable. The worst part of the exchange is that there are just normal people who want to live their lives, but they're forced into the middle of the conflict because the terrorists utilize their anonymity to rain down rockets from the strip, Israel must react, and because it's impossible to distinguish entirely who is who, a lot of peaceful people get victimized and forced from their homes. At the very least, Israel makes efforts to warn those not wishing to take part by dropping millions of leaflets advising them to flee. It's really an ugly affair.

You know what's crazy about Israel? They are the size of Virginia in terms of their population, but easily have one of the respected armed forces in the whole world. Apparently, upon completion of their training, every one of their soldiers takes an oath to defend their country at Masada - the site where an entire faction of Jews killed themselves rather than live in subservience to the Roman empire.