Israel formally declared war on Hamas on Sunday, setting the stage for a major military operation in Gaza as fighting rages on Israeli soil. The declaration comes after Hamas, an Islamist militant group, launched a surprise assault this weekend that has so far killed over 600 Israelis.

Saturday was the deadliest day in decades for Israel and came after months of surging violence between Palestinians and Israelis, with the long-running conflict now heading into uncharted and dangerous new territory. Questions remain over how the Israeli military and intelligence apparatus appeared to be caught off guard in one of the country’s worst security failures.

Over 400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as Israel responds with airstrikes in the densely-inhabited enclave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed retaliation, warning his country would take “mighty vengeance” and was readying for “a long and difficult war.”

He urged Palestinians living in Gaza to “leave now.”

          • @[email protected]
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            -19 months ago

            An attempt to eliminate a racial or cultural group of people, generally via either forced deportation or killing.

            Since neither Israeli Arabs or Palestinians are seeing population declines, there’s no attempt at genocide going on.

            • @[email protected]
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              19 months ago

              I didn’t mean the google definition. I mean the definition used within political science (which I have a degree in) that is used to distinguish war from genocide. I was hoping you’d assume as much but disappointed again. There has been a decline in fertility rates in Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank, and Palestine. Furthermore there has been a decline in education of the same groups as well as a large difference in COVID response when compared to Israelis. These are just a few examples of what educated people talk about when they speak about the beginnings of genocide of the Palestinian people.

                • @[email protected]
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                  29 months ago

                  No I literally explained. The definition and criteria through political science. Not the laymen’s definition. Laymen.

                • @[email protected]
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                  9 months ago

                  Nope. I explained in my comment. The one used in political science, not the laymen’s definition. However by all means continue to be wrong, it doesn’t matter to me if you can’t wrap your head around what’s going on.