A story has come out today indicating that very many of the people killed in the attacks (in Israel) on October 7 -- were killed by MISTAKE. In fairness to both Israel and to Hamas, this MUST be reported.
Statements of Israeli pilots emerged: Around 7.30, Israeli Apache helicopters began to intervene. The pilots were confused. They couldn't make sense of what was happening and couldn't distinguish between civilians or Hamas. They opened fire on anything that moved. Hundreds of Israeli civilians were killed.
The army was on holiday due to Simchat Torah (Torah Festival). Of Israel's 2 Apache squadrons, the 190th Squadron was off. There were two teams in the 113th Fleet on duty. They acted in shock and intervened unconsciously. Everything that moved became a target.
(Video 1-2)
Israeli Apache helicopters hit every moving vehicle. In these vehicles . . . were there only Hamas members, or just fleeing civilians? Or were they the civilians captured/kidnapped by Hamas along with Hamas members?
At other scenes of death that day, it has now become clear the Israeli army killed hundreds of Jewish civilians.
Only a tank, an Apache helicopter or a fighter plane can make a vehicle destroyed like many of those found.
Hamas does not have any tanks, cannons, missiles, planes, or helicopters that could turn a vehicle into the condition many were found. (Video 3)
Israeli hostage Yasmin Porat spoke to Israel State Radio:
Q: Did terrorists shoot them?
A: No! They were killed by blind fire opened by our soldiers.
Q: So our soldiers killed them?
A: There's no doubt about it
(Video 4)
I am endeavoring to obtain the four videos . . . . check back.
HAL TURNER REMARKS
One need not have my background of years working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to know that in the midst of a firefight, or an ongoing terrorist attack, confusion and fear reign supreme.
I do not fault the Israeli helicopter or fighter jet pilots AT ALL for the mistakes that were made. Like you and me; they had to have been engulfed in emotion, fear, maybe anger. Their citizens were being attacked and killed; THEY had to take action.
Alas, after the fact, when all is quiet and safe, we now see that horrible things took place that were clearly NOT intended.
There is no doubt in my mind -- at all -- that NONE of those Israeli troops wanted to fire upon their own people!
I suspect they are now gut-wrenched that they may have killed their own.
And to be very clear, we are not talking "just a few" Israelis; we're talking HUNDREDS killed . . . . by mistake . . . . in the heat, confusion, fear, and anger, of an ongoing terrorist attack.
Killed by their own troops.
A tragedy like no other.
Would different training have changed the outcome? To my thinking, Doubtful.
Would different Rules of Engagement have changed the outcome? There's no way to tell.
Let me say, clearly and unequivocally, ALL THIS . . . . is the fault of Hamas.
THEY set in-motion the events of that day.
And while one can accurately and truthfully say, they were attacking "occupiers" - whose brutality "started it" -- there is no way for Hamas to weasel-out of the events of that day.
For the rest of us, especially the Israeli government, it may be best to use these new-found facts as a reason to pause the ongoing slaughter.
Yes, the attacks of October 7 were wrong, and horrifying. But like it or not - the retaliation for those attacks - has been exponentially worse.
Not "self-defense." Revenge.
It is long past time for the carnage to halt. Otherwise, it is just state-sponsored revenge/murder.
