They exchanged text messages and emojis. Brief status updates with words of encouragement. A picture of the beloved family dog “Tutsi.”
Until no more messages came.
And then, Cindy Flash, an American, and her Israeli husband Igal vanished into the violence, presumed kidnapped by Hamas.
Four days after Hamas attacked Israel, more than 100 Israelis and potentially dozens of foreign nationals are thought to be held captive in the Gaza Strip. At least 14 U.S. citizens have been killed and an unknown number are still unaccounted for.
Flash, 67, originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, is one of them. She lives in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz in southern Israel near Gaza, where some of the most harrowing and grisly stories have been emerging during the last few days.
“They are breaking down the safe room door,” Flash said in one of her final messages to her daughter Keren, 34. “We need someone to come by the house right now.” She had been communicating with her parents from a few houses away.
Keren described her mother, who worked as an administrator in a local college, as someone who had the “sweetest biggest heart,” who everyone knew and loved, and who had spent a lifetime advocating for the rights of Palestinians, including those who live in Gaza where she may now be held.
This seems more like an example of wrong place wrong time because nowhere in the article does it state that they were specifically targeted. What it does say is that they lived right next to the fence
and that they and their neighbors both had safe rooms. To me, when you (and your neighbors) feel the need to build a fortified room to protect yourselves during a potential attack that saysthis area is potentially very dangerous.Also, stop conflating the Palestinian people with Hamas. Not all Russians are committing war crimes in Ukraine. Not all Americans stormed the US capital on J6. Not all Saudis were on planes on 9/11. We do not need to further dehumanize ANY of the people who are now suffering through this now and the MANY who are continuing to have suffering brought upon them.
Nobody can excuse attacks on civilian populations for revenge. This goes both ways. And whether or not this poor sweet lady and her husband are still alive, I’m sure she would be equally abhorred that her life’s work is being used as an excuse to undo the very thing she worked towards.
Edit: I’ve been informed all homes in Israel must have safe rooms by law.
Basically nobody was specifically targeted. Hamas simply flooded in and started raping, murdering, destroying and taking hostages indiscriminately. People from various countries and religions, old women, children and babies, even pro-Palestinians advocates like these people. It was straight up terrorist madness, and now innocent people in Palestine are suffering as a result. A textbook cycle of violence.
The raping allegations stuff doesn’t make sense. Imagine you are in an attack. Bullet flying, and you stop to rape someone.
Usually these things happen in occupied territory over time noy during the time of taking over.
I hate to break it to you, but sadly rape during war and violent conflict go back as far as the dawn of humanity.
It’s a very well documented thing and has been for a very long time.
https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Media/Publications/UNIFEM/EVAWkit_06_Factsheet_ConflictAndPostConflict_en.pdf
Seriously, have they never heard of Vikings ‘raping and pillaging?’ That’s like the biggest thing people hear about Vikings.
deleted by creator
Sadly most people are way too fucking dumb and uneducated to have nuanced opinions, but you can’t blame them fully when they’re so busy working all day that they can’t afford to spend time reading and learning from quality sources
Israeli here:
Hammasb (not the Palestiniens, Hammas) knew exactly who they murder. There is no excuse to wash their hand.