Israel is losing the war against Hamas – but Netanyahu and his government will never admit it
" There are other, wider indications of the IDF’s problems. Official casualty figures have shown more than 460 military personnel killed in Gaza, Israel and the occupied West Bank and about 1,900 wounded. But other sources suggest far greater numbers of wounded. Ten days ago, Israel’s leading daily, Yedioth Ahronoth, published information obtained from the ministry of defence’s rehabilitation department. This put casualty numbers at more than 5,000, with 58% of them classed as serious and more than 2,000 officially recognised as disabled. There have also been a number of friendly fire casualties, with the Times of Israel reporting 20 out of 105 deaths due to such fire or accidents during fighting."
The Palestinian casualty numbers are truly horrific, but as we know from history, in terms of regime robustness the ‘exchange rate’ is in their favour.
Thousands of Israeli soldiers with serious injuries (and 2000 dead) that will need looking after and be permanent reminders will jar heavily in Israel, and if Rogers is right it’s a lot more than that.
Israelis will also be aware that Netanyahu knows his own personal goose is cooked as soon as the fighting stops - by all logic, the desperado leader should therefore have been removed from power immediately it started; how can he maintain a stable sense of proportion? Evidently, he can’t.
The source for these Israeli casualties (9 December, nearly 2 weeks ago) says
"More than 5,000 Israeli soldiers have been injured in Gaza since the conflict began on Oct. 7, with more than 2,000 officially recognized by the Ministry of Defence as disabled, an Israeli newspaper revealed on Saturday, adding that more than 58% of those injured suffered serious harm to their hands and feet, necessitating amputations.
“More than 5,000 wounded soldiers arrived in hospitals in Israel,” the daily Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.
“More than 2,000 were officially recognized by the Ministry of Defense as disabled,” the daily added.
“We have never experienced anything similar to this. More than 58% of the wounded we receive have serious injuries to their hands and feet, including amputations,” Limor Luria, deputy director general and head of Israel’s Ministry of Defense’s Rehabilitation Department, told the newspaper.
“About 12% of injuries are internal consisting of damage to the spleen, kidneys, and rupture of internal organs,” Luria said.
“About 7% suffer from psychological distress, a number we know will rise sharply,” the official said.
The Israeli army said at least 420 soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7."
It’s also interesting that this kind of piece should appear in the Guardian. All of Israel’s supporters now seem to be giving out mixed messages or making noises to halt this conflict.
