Kak Jee

Occupation is an active hostility. Israeli settlers aren't civilians. Forget they're IDF reservists-- they have barracks & armories in their "civilian" settlements surrounding Gaza, precisely to keep Palestinians caged in. They're armed and serve as an extension of the army. They lose their status as civilians. Same in the West Bank. As for "active" IDF, this goes without saying that under international law, any soldier is a legitimate target. On base, or at a festival. In uniform, or naked. An Israeli soldier is normally considered Hors de Combat or outside of combat if they're a POW, wounded, or they surrender. They do not stop being part of the military's active infrastructure and rule just because they went to a party or to the bathroom. There must of course be proportionality in terms of civilian casualties. But the point is when the French resistance sprayed Nazi officers lounging in a Paris café, or the IRA took out British soldiers in a pub-- they all knew the risque du metier. The right to resist against military occupation, including through armed struggle, is enshrined in international law. This is particularly true in anti-colonial struggles like this. All the excuses the Israelis give for murdering Palestinians, are ironically applicable to Israelis themselves. They are the ones who use human shields by militarizing the entire society, so that there is almost no distinction. They are the ones who think it is acceptable to murder someone in Hamas inside their homes with their civilian families, but then cry foul about Hamas' collateral damage on Oct 7. The list is endless. In the end, how can you say with 100% certainty how many genuine civilians were killed by Hamas on Oct 7, when the Israelis used the Hannibal directive on their own people? When Israeli settlers are on TV and radio confirming they saw Israeli tanks and special forces kill other Israelis? When the Israelis then destroyed all forensic evidence?