#Israeli PM #BenjaminNetanyahu & #BennyGantz, leader of the opposition #NationalUnity party, reached an agreement Wed to form a unity govt. The 2 ldrs said the new govt would pursue only bills or decisions concerning the #conflict, which has prompted Israel to mass troops near the Gaza Strip & call up #reservists ahead of an offensive against #Hamas militants.
The #Hamas attack has killed ≥1,200 people in #Israel & wounded >2,700, authorities said. #Palestinian ofcls said #Israeli strikes have killed 1,055 people & injured >5,100 in #Gaza.
US ofcls said ≥14 #Americans have been killed, & ≥20 others are unaccounted for, including some held #hostage by Hamas. Israeli authorities have said >100 people were taken #captive. Hamas has threatened to execute #civilian#hostages in response to Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
Nevertheless, these documents have influenced real behavior in the real world. Soviet dissidents used to embarrass their govt by pointing to #HumanRights language in treaties the #Kremlin had signed & did not respect. Even when fighting brutal or colonial #wars, countries that had signed #treaties on the #LawsOfWar either tried to abide by them—avoiding #civilian casualties, for example—or at least felt remorseful when they failed to do so.
Both aggressors have deployed a sophisticated, militarized, modern form of #terrorism, & they do not feel apologetic or embarrassed about this at all. #Terrorists, by definition, are not fighting conventional #wars & do not obey the #LawsOfWar. Instead, they deliberately create #fear & #chaos among #civilian populations.
#Israel’s military announced that the country’s border is under control after hours of fighting & airstrikes Tues. BrigGen Dan Goldfuss of the 98th Div said the military is now “moving into the offensive … to change the reality within #Gaza to prevent such a thing from happening again.” Israel has called up tens of thousands of #reservists to fight since the unprecedented cross-border assault by #Hamas militants over the wknd.
#Biden’s statement gives the govt of #Israel room to respond w/strong force, but urged them to minimize #civilian casualties by arguing an American response to a #terror attack would be swift & decisive, but would adhere to the #LawsOfWar.
The spox for Hamas's military wing, Abu Obeida, has threatened to #execute a #civilian#hostage every time an #airstrike hits "our civilians in their homes without warning."
#Hamas is believed to be holding about 150 Israelis hostage.
In a fiery speech Monday, Israeli #PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the military would intensify its operations against Hamas, adding that “What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate w/ them for generations.”