Hamas Oct 7 massacre has legal scholars creating new war crime category
FOX NewsMay 30
Report: Israeli Gaza Division Warned of Hamas Attack 3 Weeks Before Oct. 7
Above: Protestors hold up placards featuring the faces of some of those believed to be being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas, as they hold a rally outside the London offices of the Red Cross, on November 09, 2023 in London, England. Image copyright: Leon Neil/Staff/Getty Images Europe via Getty Images
The Facts
Israel's Kan public broadcaster reported on Monday that the Israeli army's Gaza Division had compiled a document three weeks before Hamas' Oct. 7 attack detailing how the group planned to break through the border fence and take 200-250 hostages.
The document also reportedly detailed exercises conducted by elite Hamas units — including simulated raids on military posts and kibbutzim and abduction of soldiers and civilians — with detailed guidance on handling hostages once in Gaza.
The Spin
Left narrative
It should be obvious that the person most responsible for Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For Israeli society to move forward and effectively confront the existential terrorist threat that Hamas poses, Netanyahu must finally take responsibility for his failures. Though he may try to blame the military, even Netanyahu himself is aware that his destructive policies caused the security failures of Oct. 7.
Right narrative
Though Netanyahu obviously made a mistake by not seeing just how atrocious Hamas could be, the military and security apparatus at large are primarily to blame for Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre. Indeed, the fact that the military is frantically trying to avoid an investigation indicates that it is aware of its responsibility for Oct. 7. The left is trying to scapegoat Netanyahu for the military's failures.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Regardless of the bickering among Israel's political elite regarding security failures, one must remember that none of this began on Oct. 7. Israel was founded at the expense of the Palestinian people, and now, since Oct. 7, this tendency has moved toward genocide. Israeli forces killed hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank in the months leading up to Oct. 7, yet this is systematically ignored in mainstream discourse. The only way to end this conflict is to end the occupation.