Lt Col, I am a lifelong Jewish journalist here in the US, and an avid Zionist. I watched your CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer on the Jabaliya strike today, and have a suggestion. You did an exceptional job, however, you left out the one word that is most crucial when talking to a journalist about his errant conclusions: “assume.” This is the word that makes a journalist cower in shame, because to assume to be derelict in duty. Mr Blitzer was assuming scores of women and children were killed in the attack, which you rightly pointed out. If you had said the word, you would have conveyed a deep wrong by Mr Blitzer and CNN, and we should do so at every opportunity. As the old journalism adage goes, “to assume makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me.’” Use the word. -JJ Hornblass
Blimey, I’m surprised there aren’t more sink holes all across Gaza given the extent of the tunnelling under all their buildings. They must have pretty good concrete (not RAAC)
Wow! All that time money from taxing their people, using international aid and funding from neighbouring Arab states. If all that hate energy was channelled into building their cities and land, Gaza could have become a modern day Dubai.
Hi Richard! Thanks for what you're doing here. I'm sure it's a very busy and stressful time for you now and I'm loath to offer "armchair general" ideas, but I would like to know if any consideration has been given to the following seemingly obvious 'battle plan':
Instead of bombarding Gaza and losing terribly in the arena of public opinion, why doesn't the IDF simply lay siege on the Gaza City district? You can set up a blockade in the Wadi Gaza region and create checkpoints to allow civilians to still migrate south, but seal off the North from all supplies. It may take a few months, but eventually, all the terrorists will either have to surrender or starve to death, while all civilians would be spared. Once you do that in the North, you can evacuate the South back up to the North and repeat.
You do not understand how vast and complex the network of tunnels are nor how many kilometers they have tunneled from one city to another and even penetrating deep into Israel territory. Sealing off one or even ten cities will have no effect on Hamas but will only cause more resentment by the Palestinian civilians towards the Jews and Israel.
Hamas does not care about the welfare of the civilians which should be by now very obvious.
Hopefully, some of the Hamas captured and interrogated immediately, can also show entrences, exits and ventilation shafts of the tunnel system of the area, they operated in. It is likely difficult to use mechanical and electronic tunnel detection systems in a combat zone and city.
Lt Col, I am a lifelong Jewish journalist here in the US, and an avid Zionist. I watched your CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer on the Jabaliya strike today, and have a suggestion. You did an exceptional job, however, you left out the one word that is most crucial when talking to a journalist about his errant conclusions: “assume.” This is the word that makes a journalist cower in shame, because to assume to be derelict in duty. Mr Blitzer was assuming scores of women and children were killed in the attack, which you rightly pointed out. If you had said the word, you would have conveyed a deep wrong by Mr Blitzer and CNN, and we should do so at every opportunity. As the old journalism adage goes, “to assume makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me.’” Use the word. -JJ Hornblass
Blimey, I’m surprised there aren’t more sink holes all across Gaza given the extent of the tunnelling under all their buildings. They must have pretty good concrete (not RAAC)
They spent 1.5 billion apparently on their tunnel network. Its serious stuff.
Wow! All that time money from taxing their people, using international aid and funding from neighbouring Arab states. If all that hate energy was channelled into building their cities and land, Gaza could have become a modern day Dubai.
Hi Richard! Thanks for what you're doing here. I'm sure it's a very busy and stressful time for you now and I'm loath to offer "armchair general" ideas, but I would like to know if any consideration has been given to the following seemingly obvious 'battle plan':
Instead of bombarding Gaza and losing terribly in the arena of public opinion, why doesn't the IDF simply lay siege on the Gaza City district? You can set up a blockade in the Wadi Gaza region and create checkpoints to allow civilians to still migrate south, but seal off the North from all supplies. It may take a few months, but eventually, all the terrorists will either have to surrender or starve to death, while all civilians would be spared. Once you do that in the North, you can evacuate the South back up to the North and repeat.
You do not understand how vast and complex the network of tunnels are nor how many kilometers they have tunneled from one city to another and even penetrating deep into Israel territory. Sealing off one or even ten cities will have no effect on Hamas but will only cause more resentment by the Palestinian civilians towards the Jews and Israel.
Hamas does not care about the welfare of the civilians which should be by now very obvious.
Thank you for the updates
I pray for all the brave IDF soldiers and their families
Thank you for this report.
My condolences to the families of the soldiers killed.
I hate what is happening to Isreal. You will prevail!
I hope the @IDF finds every terrorist hiding in tunnels and eliminates them, then destroys their tunnel network
If Hamas operatives are in the tunnels as they are destroyed, consider that a win
Hopefully, some of the Hamas captured and interrogated immediately, can also show entrences, exits and ventilation shafts of the tunnel system of the area, they operated in. It is likely difficult to use mechanical and electronic tunnel detection systems in a combat zone and city.
It sounds like there were weapons down there that exploded . Either way well done on what you are achieving for Israel and globally
This is a good article too if you haven't read already https://www.wsj.com/articles/hamas-ghazi-hamad-interview-israel-oct-7-0731bd48?mod=hp_opin_pos_2#cxrecs_s