You can drop a bomb in the middle of a crowd of people and still claim to not have been targeting the people, they were just there. Doesn't really change the evilness of the action one way or the other.
"They put on a blindfold and fired into a crowd with a machine gun. Clearly, as they weren't specifically targeting the civilians in the crowd, it's all okay!" - State Department desperately trying to come up with excuses for American policy towards Israel
Bombing promised safe routes and locations is totally not targeting civilians. Just ignore the mountain of bodies. Even if Hamas was sneaking out of them, you promised they'd be safe. The civilians had no other choice.
For sake of argument, suppose they earnestly believe this. I can think of a scenario consistent with that belief: that they also believe there are no civilians in the region, and that everyone present is Hamas.
Nor does it remove it from being a war crime. Just being indifferent to whether one hits civilians or not is a war crime. The bar is one has to concern oneself actively with considering how to minimise civilian casualties.
It seems more like a wanton disregard for civilian casualties. Blowing up entire apartment towers because they believe one or more people there were valid targets is unacceptable but not technically targeting civilians.
Maybe not deliberately, but is bombing buildings not caring if kids are in them or not better?? Not journalists killing is what I would like to see them comment on.
You're going to have to take my word for it because I'm lazy and in bed, but Israel goes to serious effort to make no distinction between civilian, terrorist, protester or child.
They have rules of engagement so broad that basically nobody is safe. When soldiers gunned down children, they are either not charged or cleared by falsified evidence. Some of which admits that they killing was unjustified and offers alternative explanations to be given to the press.
Their bombs arent deliberately targeting much of anything... Even though those bombs are extremely expensive and capable of centimeter precision targeting.
I've seen video of civvies in Gaza trying to take cover away from open space and being shot right through the knee. It's been circulating since what I think in real time would be 2 nights ago. State department has been captured by the IDF.
For the cases when the Hamas are hiding in the same buildings as civilians (effectively using them as a human shield), what does the esteemed audience suggest?
Let's say for the sake of argument that a terrorist cell popped up in your town. Would be okay for the government to carpet bomb your town, including your house, to remove them? If not, how is that different from the scenario in Gaza?
Don't kill the human shield? You don't kill the hostages in a hostage situation. Well, if you're not Israel, at least. They seem fine with killing Israeli hostages as well and just blaming the other party for killing them by them not moving them out of the way of IDF bombs.