The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.

 

“The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.”

The saying, found in many Eurasian languages, probably originated in Turkish

(it ürür, kervan yürür), where it rhymes.
It aptly fits a modern-day saying: “News items have a very short shelf life.”

That being said, the IDF strike on Gaza City's Al-Taba’een School compound, has been unduly criticised /condemned. Nevertheless, it still is a newsworthy item.

The IDF said that its intelligence indicated that there were no women and children at the Gaza City school it targeted on Saturday, which it claimed was being used as a Hamas command centre. Predictably, Hamas claimed that nearly 100 people were killed in the strike.

At this juncture I want to insert a margin note; Past experience has taught us that Hamas, the Gaza health ministry. UNRWA and other authorities in the Gaza enclave, are subservient to Hamas. The numbers they quote - fatalities and injured, are highly exaggerated

Back to the main text: -

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in an English-language video statement says -“Increasingly in recent months Hamas has focused on exploiting school buildings, often where civilians are sheltering inside, to use them as military facilities, command and control centres, for storing weapons, and to conduct terrorist attacks,”

Another spokesman added that the IDF has carried out a precision strike on a building in Gaza City's Al-Taba’een School compound, targeting terrorist threats identified by its military intelligence unit (8200). The strike, aimed at a specific building used by Hamas, was conducted with efforts to minimise civilian casualties, as no women or children were present, according to IDF sources. The action underscores ongoing operations against Hamas and accusations that the group exploits civilian infrastructure for its activities.

The White House said it was "deeply concerned" about an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza City school compound on Saturday. The US statement came after condemnation of the attack from several Arab states, Turkey, Britain and the European Union's foreign policy chief.

"Yet again, far too many civilians have been killed," Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris told reporters separately on Saturday while also reiterating calls for a Gaza ceasefire.

"We are deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties in Gaza following a strike by the Israel Defence Forces on a compound that included a school." the White House said in a statement, adding Washington was in touch with Israel to seek more information.

"We know Hamas has been using schools as locations to gather and operate out of, but we have also said repeatedly and consistently that Israel must take measures to minimize civilian harm," the White House added.

The U.S. comments followed condemnation of the attack from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was horrified by the images from the school, while British foreign minister David Lammy said he was "appalled" by the strike.

Hamas terrorists use Gaza schools as refuges, and refugees as human shields

Thousands of Palestinians have found refuge in Gaza's schools, despite poor conditions and severe overcrowding; however, the increasing use of UN facilities by Hamas operatives for terror activities has led to a corresponding rise in IDF airstrikes.

Israeli officials have said they will take steps to limit civilian casualties, but it fell to a Pentagon official, Dana Stroul, to provide more details during a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the Israeli-Gaza war.

"They (the IDF) have dropped 1.5 million leaflets in Gaza asking civilians to evacuate," Stroul said. "They have sent over hundreds of thousands of text messages and made phone calls to cell phones.  In our conversations with the Israel Defence Forces they have made clear they assess collateral damage estimates before they attack.”

While the IDF announced on Saturday that 19 terrorists were eliminated in the attack Gaza City's Al-Taba’een School compound, the Shin Bet (General Security Services) and Military Intelligence have confirmed that the number of terrorists eliminated in the attack is 38.

Security forces are continuing their assessments, and the number may increase.

Ahead of the attack, the Shin Bet provided precise intelligence on a specific building within the school complex, which had effectively become a terrorist headquarters hiding dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.

Once it was confirmed no children or women were inside the building, the decision was made to target it.

Throughout the war, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have turned school buildings, clinics, hospitals, mosques, and international aid organisation facilities into terrorist headquarters after the IDF destroyed their infrastructures.

Israel has achieved all it can in its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, several US officials told the New York Times in an article published Thursday, saying that the Israel Defence Forces would never be able to completely eradicate the terror group.

The report, citing current and former US and Israeli officials, said that only a deal, not military pressure, could secure the release of the remaining 115 living and dead captives in Gaza.

Still, the report said, Israel’s Gaza offensive has achieved far more against Hamas than US officials had predicted in October.

“Israel has been able to disrupt Hamas, kill a number of their leaders and largely reduce the threat to Israel that existed before October 7,” Gen. Joseph L. Votel, the former head of US CENTCOM, told the Times, adding that Hamas has been “diminished.”

The report came as CIA director William Burns was set to arrive in Qatar Thursday for renewed hostages-for-ceasefire talks. Amos Hochstein, the White House’s special Middle East adviser, said in Beirut Wednesday that a deal “would prevent an outbreak of a wider war.” Both officials were expected to relay the message that Israel cannot do anything more against Hamas militarily, the Times said.

"Hamas is a terrorist organisation — for them, just surviving is victory,” said Dana Stroul. “They will continue to reconstitute and pop up after the IDF says they have cleared an area without follow-on plans for security and governance in Gaza.”

I tend to agree with her.

 

Beni,

15th of August, 2024.