The American abstention in the UN seems to have had the expected result. Hamas has moved back to more extreme demands for hostage release. Israel and the US still claim to be hopeful for some kind of deal. I’m not so optimistic. IDF troops are still returning to search hospitals for a second time. After seeing how Hamas had returned to Al-Shifa hospital, thinking that its’ medical status would protect them, IDF units are also revisiting other similar medical facilities to ensure that Hamas has not also reestablished a military presence in them. It appears that there are still some terrorists in Al-Shifa, but only on the top two floors.
With regard to the UN resolution; no hostages have been released and the terrorists have not stopped shooting. That applies to Hezbollah in Lebanon as well. Hamas has been emphasizing efforts to get Palestinian West Bank residents to take a more active role. This morning, at about 7 AM someone set an ambush for vehicles traveling in the Jordan valley. A school bus full of children was targeted, along with private cars. No one on the bus was harmed because Israel uses armored buses on that route. But the bullets left dents on the side of the bus and spider web cracks on the windows. As I write this the perpetrators have not yet been found.
Another interesting point is that while the US feigns concern over civilian casualties (Hamas, of course, does not) the statistics show that the IDF is doing a better job than the Americans did in Afghanistan (or Iraq, or Kosovo, or Vietnam). The principal measure used was civilian casualties per terrorist. Using terrorists vs friendly losses the exchange rate is more than 10 to 1.
Wetherhorn 