>Many civilians are dying […] But it's hard to say this war isn't justified given the promises.
This is exactly the rhetoric that made Hamas think it was okay to kill Israeli civilians. Both think the other is an existential threat.
This is exactly the rhetoric that made Hamas think it was okay to kill Israeli civilians. Both think the other is an existential threat.
Hamas has promised to do this over and over again, saying that October 7th was "just a rehearsal".
I'm not at all saying that every action is justified, but fighting to stop Hamas from having the capability of doing this again is definitely justified.
(And for what it's worth, the "other side" thinking October 7th was justified makes no sense, because it isn't going to help them achieve their actual goals, only cause immense suffering to their own side. In that sense Hamas's actions are double-crimes - both killing Israelis, and doing so in a manner that was bound to cause the death of their own populations.)