In general, civilian-combatant casualty ratios range from 1:1 to 5:1. They tend to be higher in urban settings like Gaza. The Chechen wars were closer to 7-10:1
The US estimates 15,000 combatants have been killed in Gaza. If so, we would consider 15,000 to 75,000 civilian deaths to be normal at this point.
I consider all civilians to be equal, so I’m not going to separate children for the same reason I’m not going to separate Palestinian Christians, mothers, teachers, or retirees.
Okay, let me put it this way- are you so firm in your conviction that all the child deaths in Gaza so far have been justified that you would be willing to say that to the parents of a dead child? Because I’m willing to find some so that you can tell them that yourself. I bet they’d even be willing to get on video chat with you so you can tell them, to their faces, that their child’s death was justifiable.
So, are you willing to do that? Tell grieving parents that their child’s death was justifiable because Israel is accomplishing its military objectives?
Believing something is true does not mean that you should tell someone, especially someone in grief.
If someone’s husband just died, would you be willing to say, “You should know that he was cheating on you for years”?
If someone’s mother just died, would you be willing to say, “I really think you should have spent more time with her in her final days”?
If someone’s child commits suicide, would you be willing to say, “You could have prevented this if you had bothered to pay attention to the warning signs”?
Even if all these things are 100% true, I think it would be monstrous to blurt them out.
Sometimes compassion means respecting that people are not always ready to hear the truth.
Okay, so you would be willing to tell them that in a year, correct? You gave them time to grieve, so they would be ready to hear the truth.
Shall we make an appointment in one years’ time for you to tell the parents of a dead Palestinian child that their child’s death was justified so that Israel could meet their military objectives?
One year later, ten years later, a million years later: I would never say “You could have prevented your child’s death”.
Most people do not want to debate the circumstances of their child’s death, ever. They often only want reassurance that it’s part of god’s plan. And if that’s all they want, then that’s all I will ever say about it (even though I’m not exactly religious).
Do you think any Palestinians will be willing to hear that the death of a Palestinian child was justified so that Israel could achieve its military goals?
Edit: Wait a second-
I would never say “You could have prevented your child’s death”.
What are you even talking about? I thought this was about whether or not the death was justified, not whether or not it was preventable.
“You could have prevented your child’s death” is simply an example of something that may be true, but I will never say to anyone. Not next year, not in a hundred years. Not in Palestine, not in New York.
Do you think any Palestinians will be willing to hear that the death of a Palestinian child was justified so that Israel could achieve its military goals?
I don’t think anyone, Palestinian or not, will be willing to debate whether the death of their child was justified.
I think plenty of people, including Palestinians, are willing to debate whether the death of other people’s children is justified. For example, some Palestinians argued that the death of Israeli children on 10/7 was justified.
In general, civilian-combatant casualty ratios range from 1:1 to 5:1. They tend to be higher in urban settings like Gaza. The Chechen wars were closer to 7-10:1
The US estimates 15,000 combatants have been killed in Gaza. If so, we would consider 15,000 to 75,000 civilian deaths to be normal at this point.
Anyone reading along in this thread should probably check the veracity of these claimed ratios. Wikipedia has an okay overview.
It’s also worth noting that the Russian wars in Chechnya were particularly notable for their brutal war crimes.
@FlyingSquid
I’ll save you the effort:
If there are 15,000 combatants among the 35,000 dead in Gaza, then this war stands at 1.3:1
I asked about children.
I consider all civilians to be equal, so I’m not going to separate children for the same reason I’m not going to separate Palestinian Christians, mothers, teachers, or retirees.
Okay, let me put it this way- are you so firm in your conviction that all the child deaths in Gaza so far have been justified that you would be willing to say that to the parents of a dead child? Because I’m willing to find some so that you can tell them that yourself. I bet they’d even be willing to get on video chat with you so you can tell them, to their faces, that their child’s death was justifiable.
So, are you willing to do that? Tell grieving parents that their child’s death was justifiable because Israel is accomplishing its military objectives?
Believing something is true does not mean that you should tell someone, especially someone in grief.
If someone’s husband just died, would you be willing to say, “You should know that he was cheating on you for years”?
If someone’s mother just died, would you be willing to say, “I really think you should have spent more time with her in her final days”?
If someone’s child commits suicide, would you be willing to say, “You could have prevented this if you had bothered to pay attention to the warning signs”?
Even if all these things are 100% true, I think it would be monstrous to blurt them out.
Sometimes compassion means respecting that people are not always ready to hear the truth.
Okay, so you would be willing to tell them that in a year, correct? You gave them time to grieve, so they would be ready to hear the truth.
Shall we make an appointment in one years’ time for you to tell the parents of a dead Palestinian child that their child’s death was justified so that Israel could meet their military objectives?
Some people will never be ready.
One year later, ten years later, a million years later: I would never say “You could have prevented your child’s death”.
Most people do not want to debate the circumstances of their child’s death, ever. They often only want reassurance that it’s part of god’s plan. And if that’s all they want, then that’s all I will ever say about it (even though I’m not exactly religious).
Do you think any Palestinians will be willing to hear that the death of a Palestinian child was justified so that Israel could achieve its military goals?
Edit: Wait a second-
What are you even talking about? I thought this was about whether or not the death was justified, not whether or not it was preventable.
“You could have prevented your child’s death” is simply an example of something that may be true, but I will never say to anyone. Not next year, not in a hundred years. Not in Palestine, not in New York.
I don’t think anyone, Palestinian or not, will be willing to debate whether the death of their child was justified.
I think plenty of people, including Palestinians, are willing to debate whether the death of other people’s children is justified. For example, some Palestinians argued that the death of Israeli children on 10/7 was justified.