@chestas @jwillia2

As for your question about "collective punishment".

It is not "punishment".

#Israel is trying to do two things:

1. Retrieve the hostages given that it has been FOUR weeks and Hamas has not agreed to release them

#BringThemHome
#BringThemHomeNOW
#SetThemFree

If Hamas let them go, much of the current fighting would not be required. The onus is on Hamas...

2. Dismantle #Hamas so that they never inflict such harm on Israel ever again

I am not a military strategist, so I have no idea what a better way to retrieve the hostages would be... Or to dismantle a military entity would be.

What would you suggest?

Unfortunately, Hamas has an explicit strategy of maximizing the deaths of Palestinian civilians.

For example, they refused to allow people to evacuate away from the site of battle - even though Israel gave several days' warning and did not enter Gaza immediately in order to allow civilians to leave the area.

I posted this article already, but I shall attach it again.

https://www.thefp.com/p/hamass-strategy-of-human-sacrifice