If you want to know what and who the left and certain elements of the Islamic world are supporting when they cheer on Hamas’ attacks on Israel and condemn the Israelis for counterstrikes within the Gaza Strip, one need only look at the footage of where the destruction is and what is being destroyed.
To the left, the reported destruction of a mosque in Gaza was evidence that the Israel Defense Forces had crossed a line. After all, weren’t such holy places to be spared the brunt of a conflict that’s clearly turned into the biggest attack on the Jewish state since the Second Intifada began over 20 years ago?
However, the grim footage underscores who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in the conflict, as far as the IDF is concerned.
It didn’t direct its troops to hit the religious site, it says — and why would it? Instead, this all stems from the fact that Hamas is willing to put weapons of war in or near schools, hospitals and schools.
According to The Associated Press, over 1,100 people are dead as of Sunday evening after the fighting commenced on Saturday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office formally declared war on Hamas on Sunday, with an order authorizing “the taking of significant military steps.”
“The war that was forced on the State of Israel in a murderous terrorist assault from the Gaza Strip began at 06:00 yesterday,” it said, offering little in the way of concrete details.
However, footage of a mosque in Gaza being destroyed by a retaliatory airstrike went viral and was used as evidence by enemies of Israel of indiscriminate warfare.
Here’s 5Pillars, a U.K.-based Islamic news site, saying the video was footage of the aftermath of the “Al Amin Muhammad Mosque in Khan Yunis, destroyed by an Israeli airstrike.”
ISRAEL BOMBS MOSQUE IN GAZA
The Al Amin Muhammad Mosque in Khan Yunis, destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. pic.twitter.com/06Brvg8afW
— 5Pillars (@5Pillarsuk) October 8, 2023
Meanwhile, Keith Woods — a writer and contributor to the anti-Semitic, white supremacist (as in, really white supremacist, not Ibram X. Kendi’s idea of “white supremacist”) outlet Unz Review — said this on social media: “While Palestinian fighters were given strict orders to respect churches and monasteries, Israel responded to the attacks by bombing a Mosque in Gaza.”
While Palestinian fighters were given strict orders to respect churches and monasteries, Israel responded to the attacks by bombing a Mosque in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/ob0TlKcY7X
— Keith Woods (@KeithWoodsYT) October 8, 2023
Readers added a context note to that statement, however — and it was, indeed, one hell of a note.
“Israeli forces have claimed that the mosque was being used as a base of operations for Hamas,” users of X noted. “Hamas rockets have struck synagogues and Hamas gunmen have previously specifically targeted worshipers in synagogues.”
Indeed, here’s reported footage of a synagogue being attacked by Hamas forces on Saturday:
Synagogue in Ashkelon reportedly struck by one of the rockets from a nighttime barrage targeting Israeli-held territories by Gaza militant factions. pic.twitter.com/HRM7WY0xFH
— Andrew (@sandses1) October 8, 2023
And the IDF said that it hit “two operational situation rooms, located inside mosques, used by Hamas in Gaza” in a Sunday social media post — hence why it was reduced to rubble.
?00:35 am: IDF aircraft struck two operational situation rooms, located inside mosques, used by Hamas in Gaza. 3/4
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 8, 2023
In an IDF primer on the forces’ website titled “Were Mosques Targeted During the Operation?” the Israeli forces said this is a common tactic for the terrorist organization.
“Hamas uses mosques to store weapons, hide its terrorists and even fire rockets. Hamas cynically uses these mosques, knowing that the IDF does all in its power to avoid hitting such infrastructures,” the IDF said in the FAQ.
“Only yesterday, the IDF targeted a rocket launching site was placed right next to a mosque. This launch site was a location from which terrorists fired rockets at Israel. The IDF struck the launcher and managed to decapitate it without causing any harm to the mosque.”
The page also noted that, as soon as “Hamas uses its mosques as weapon warehouses, these holy sites lose their impunity. As stated in the Geneva Convention: ‘[…] military objectives are limited to those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage.'”
“So why does Hamas use these mosques as weapon warehouses? To address this question, one should first be aware of Hamas’ main strategic element —exploitation of the Palestinian civilian population as human shields for its operations and infrastructure,” the Israelis noted. “This is an ages-old Hamas tactic.”
Indeed, it’s so old that it should hardly come as a surprise that it happens, considering that this is Hamas’ modus operandi.
Mosques, hospitals, schools, children: None of these things is safe or sacrosanct to a terrorist organization that has been willing to sacrifice its own so long as it can attack the Israelis.
Yet, look at the predictable parade of people willing to rush to Hamas’ aid.
To say this kind of blame-the-victim mentality is a travesty is an understatement of orders of magnitude.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
