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> Masad, 38, has felt obliged to speak out about Gaza ever since, calling out those in tech who, in his view, have supported Israel’s “genocide” of the Palestin

> Masad, 38, has felt obliged to speak out about Gaza ever since, calling out those in tech who, in his view, have supported Israel’s “genocide” of the Palestinian people. This sentence would be better without the scare quotes. Something like "calling out those in tech who support what he views as a genocide."

nailer 9mo ago
[flagged]
- cholantesh 9mo ago
  As it happens, genocide scholars disagree with you, and in any case, Gaza's population has not increased.
  - FunnyUsername 9mo ago
    It's at least plausible that the population did increase. Estimates of births during the war are larger than the casualty count that Hamas claims.
    - pcthrowaway 9mo ago
      It'd be nice if Israel would let UN fact-finding missionaries or other independent research teams into Gaza to find out (in addition to not barring and/or killing humanitarian aid workers)
      - Cyph0n 9mo ago
        Or even international media outside of proctored propaganda trips. They obviously have learned their lesson since the 1982 invasion.
        FunnyUsername 9mo ago
        It’s perfectly normal for militaries to have press restrictions in conflict zones, for opsec among other good reasons. No one bats an eye when Ukraine does it for example.
        Cyph0n 9mo ago
        Bad analogy, for two reasons: 1. Ukraine’s media restrictions are virtually non-existent when compared to those enforced by the Israelis in Gaza, including the intentional bombing of media offices. Keep in mind that Hamas has repeatedly called upon Israel to allow foreign press and NGOs to visit and see what’s happening on the ground. 2. The Ukraine war is a conventional war between sovereign nations with standing militaries with equivalent capabilities (air force, anti-air defenses, armored vehicles, bomb shelters, etc). The Gaza genocide is an onslaught by a sovereign nation with a well equipped military against a militant group in a dense urban area. Leveling entire city blocks when fighting against an opponent that has no air force or anti-air capabilities is not only unimpressive, but also breaks the principle of proportionality.
        FunnyUsername 9mo ago
        1. It's pretty much the same - no press in dangerous areas unless invited and escorted by the military. The only major difference is that Ukraine is >1000x larger, and has safe areas far from any fighting where such press restrictions aren't needed. 2. You're making a bunch of separate accusations without connecting them to the topic at hand, which was press restrictions.
        Cyph0n 9mo ago
        No, they’re not the same, and (2) is very relevant. Let me reiterate: Ukraine is a sovereign nation with a sovereign military that has the ability to enforce restrictions within its own territory. To bring your bad analogy more in line with reality on the ground, imagine if Ukraine was still part of/occupied by the USSR/Russia, and Russia enforced press restrictions across all of Ukrainian territory during a Ukrainian insurgency. However, in this theoretical USSR, Ukrainians did not get Soviet citizenship, and were under a total blockade. > The only major difference is that Ukraine is >1000x larger, and has safe areas far from any fighting where such press restrictions aren't needed. But Israel never allowed press into the strip, even during “ceasefire” periods - like right now! This implies that Israel is not somehow paternalistically concerned for press safety; it simply wants a media blackout. So no, this “major difference” is irrelevant when comparing restrictions between the two conflicts.
    - jjk166 9mo ago
      Gaza population September 2023: 2.3 million. Gaza population September 2025: 2.1 million. Hamas casualties make up only a portion of palestinian casualties; palestinian casualties make up only a portion of excess deaths; excess deaths make up only a portion of total deaths.
      - FunnyUsername 9mo ago
        The next census will be in 2027. No one knows the population until then. It’s not clear that Hamas limits their counts to excess deaths. Even if they intended to, a lot of it is based on a web form, with not much validation besides basic checks that the person exists etc. As with pretty much any conflict, there's a ton of uncertainly, and people shouldn't be recklessly speculating based on things like WhatsApp chats. Responsible casualty estimates would look more like Ukraine, where for example Zelenskyy said "tens of thousands" (one significant digit) were killed in Mariupol.
        jjk166 9mo ago
        You are the one who proposed birth estimates and casualty claims suggest population increased. How do you think population estimates work? There is no census scheduled for 2027. Gaza (much like Israel) does not conduct full censuses on a regular schedule. Neither Gaza nor Israel have scheduled their next full census at this time. The most recent census for Gaza was 2017 (for comparison Israel's most recent was 2008). All population numbers of relevance are determined by statistical methods. For large numbers, this is perfectly adequate. > As with pretty much any conflict, there's a ton of uncertainly, and people shouldn't be recklessly speculating based on things like WhatsApp chats. Numbers of deaths aren't being estimated from WhatApp chats. The most widely agreed upon estimates are based on morgue data, which if anything should undercount the actual death toll as plenty of bodies never make it to a morgue operated by health professionals. These health professionals are the same ones giving the birth rate estimates. > Responsible casualty estimates would look more like Ukraine, where for example Zelenskyy said "tens of thousands" (one significant digit) were killed in Mariupol. That's not what one significant digit means. That is an order of magnitude estimate. I believe everyone is in agreement that the death toll of the gaza war was likewise in the tens of thousands. 1 significant digit would indicate how many tens of thousands. For example, death tolls for Mariupol range from between 20,000 and 90,000. Estimates for Gaza range between 60,000 and 100,000, or roughly half the band for Mariupol. Note that Ukraine does not have access to Mariupol to investigate, as the war is still ongoing, whereas we are several months past the ceasefire in Gaza. Based on pre-war numbers, natural deaths unrelated to the conflict should be a rounding error at this resolution. Certainly the claim that the population increase is proof of anything is absurd.
    - cholantesh 9mo ago
      Estimates of birth that rely on the mid-2023 figure and deliberately ignore Israel's systematic dismantling of the health and food systems in Gaza and the drop in fertility levels. >the casualty count that Hamas claims The Gaza Health Ministry's count is widely regarded as an underestimate, but mostly by people who don't refer to it with a dogwhistling caveat.
      - tguvot 9mo ago
        4000 deliveries in march of 2025. 50000 pregnant woman [1] 50,000 births by july of 2024 (starting with october 7th 2023) [2] you can sum and extrapolate the numbers. you can probably find more numbers about births [1] https://www.savethechildren.net/news/about-130-children-born-daily-gaza-amid-total-siege-aid-and-goods https://www.savethechildren.net/news/about-130-children-born... [2] https://www.savethechildren.net/news/women-self-inducing-labour-and-facing-life-threatening-complications-pregnancy-after-nine https://www.savethechildren.net/news/women-self-inducing-lab...
      - nailer 9mo ago
        [flagged]
        topaz0 9mo ago
        Because the infrastructure required to document the deaths systematically was bombed to hell.
        FunnyUsername 9mo ago
        They don't rely on infrastructure like morgues, they collected casualty reports from a Google form, and later a self-hosted form: https://sehatty.ps/moh-registration/public/add-order https://sehatty.ps/moh-registration/public/add-order
  - nailer 9mo ago
    [flagged]
    - cholantesh 9mo ago
      [flagged]
      - nailer 9mo ago
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kiliantics 9mo ago
The phrasing in the article shows very strong bias towards Israel in general
metabagel 9mo ago
I agree with you that it’s a genocide, but that is not universally accepted, so I think the scare quotes are OK. This article isn’t seeking to litigate the genocide in Gaza. Scare quotes don’t mean that it’s not true.

nailer 9mo ago

[flagged]

cholantesh 9mo ago
As it happens, genocide scholars disagree with you, and in any case, Gaza's population has not increased.
- FunnyUsername 9mo ago
  It's at least plausible that the population did increase. Estimates of births during the war are larger than the casualty count that Hamas claims.
  - pcthrowaway 9mo ago
    It'd be nice if Israel would let UN fact-finding missionaries or other independent research teams into Gaza to find out (in addition to not barring and/or killing humanitarian aid workers)
    - Cyph0n 9mo ago
      Or even international media outside of proctored propaganda trips. They obviously have learned their lesson since the 1982 invasion.
      - FunnyUsername 9mo ago
        It’s perfectly normal for militaries to have press restrictions in conflict zones, for opsec among other good reasons. No one bats an eye when Ukraine does it for example.
        Cyph0n 9mo ago
        Bad analogy, for two reasons: 1. Ukraine’s media restrictions are virtually non-existent when compared to those enforced by the Israelis in Gaza, including the intentional bombing of media offices. Keep in mind that Hamas has repeatedly called upon Israel to allow foreign press and NGOs to visit and see what’s happening on the ground. 2. The Ukraine war is a conventional war between sovereign nations with standing militaries with equivalent capabilities (air force, anti-air defenses, armored vehicles, bomb shelters, etc). The Gaza genocide is an onslaught by a sovereign nation with a well equipped military against a militant group in a dense urban area. Leveling entire city blocks when fighting against an opponent that has no air force or anti-air capabilities is not only unimpressive, but also breaks the principle of proportionality.
        FunnyUsername 9mo ago
        1. It's pretty much the same - no press in dangerous areas unless invited and escorted by the military. The only major difference is that Ukraine is >1000x larger, and has safe areas far from any fighting where such press restrictions aren't needed. 2. You're making a bunch of separate accusations without connecting them to the topic at hand, which was press restrictions.
        Cyph0n 9mo ago
        No, they’re not the same, and (2) is very relevant. Let me reiterate: Ukraine is a sovereign nation with a sovereign military that has the ability to enforce restrictions within its own territory. To bring your bad analogy more in line with reality on the ground, imagine if Ukraine was still part of/occupied by the USSR/Russia, and Russia enforced press restrictions across all of Ukrainian territory during a Ukrainian insurgency. However, in this theoretical USSR, Ukrainians did not get Soviet citizenship, and were under a total blockade. > The only major difference is that Ukraine is >1000x larger, and has safe areas far from any fighting where such press restrictions aren't needed. But Israel never allowed press into the strip, even during “ceasefire” periods - like right now! This implies that Israel is not somehow paternalistically concerned for press safety; it simply wants a media blackout. So no, this “major difference” is irrelevant when comparing restrictions between the two conflicts.
  - jjk166 9mo ago
    Gaza population September 2023: 2.3 million. Gaza population September 2025: 2.1 million. Hamas casualties make up only a portion of palestinian casualties; palestinian casualties make up only a portion of excess deaths; excess deaths make up only a portion of total deaths.
    - FunnyUsername 9mo ago
      The next census will be in 2027. No one knows the population until then. It’s not clear that Hamas limits their counts to excess deaths. Even if they intended to, a lot of it is based on a web form, with not much validation besides basic checks that the person exists etc. As with pretty much any conflict, there's a ton of uncertainly, and people shouldn't be recklessly speculating based on things like WhatsApp chats. Responsible casualty estimates would look more like Ukraine, where for example Zelenskyy said "tens of thousands" (one significant digit) were killed in Mariupol.
      - jjk166 9mo ago
        You are the one who proposed birth estimates and casualty claims suggest population increased. How do you think population estimates work? There is no census scheduled for 2027. Gaza (much like Israel) does not conduct full censuses on a regular schedule. Neither Gaza nor Israel have scheduled their next full census at this time. The most recent census for Gaza was 2017 (for comparison Israel's most recent was 2008). All population numbers of relevance are determined by statistical methods. For large numbers, this is perfectly adequate. > As with pretty much any conflict, there's a ton of uncertainly, and people shouldn't be recklessly speculating based on things like WhatsApp chats. Numbers of deaths aren't being estimated from WhatApp chats. The most widely agreed upon estimates are based on morgue data, which if anything should undercount the actual death toll as plenty of bodies never make it to a morgue operated by health professionals. These health professionals are the same ones giving the birth rate estimates. > Responsible casualty estimates would look more like Ukraine, where for example Zelenskyy said "tens of thousands" (one significant digit) were killed in Mariupol. That's not what one significant digit means. That is an order of magnitude estimate. I believe everyone is in agreement that the death toll of the gaza war was likewise in the tens of thousands. 1 significant digit would indicate how many tens of thousands. For example, death tolls for Mariupol range from between 20,000 and 90,000. Estimates for Gaza range between 60,000 and 100,000, or roughly half the band for Mariupol. Note that Ukraine does not have access to Mariupol to investigate, as the war is still ongoing, whereas we are several months past the ceasefire in Gaza. Based on pre-war numbers, natural deaths unrelated to the conflict should be a rounding error at this resolution. Certainly the claim that the population increase is proof of anything is absurd.
  - cholantesh 9mo ago
    Estimates of birth that rely on the mid-2023 figure and deliberately ignore Israel's systematic dismantling of the health and food systems in Gaza and the drop in fertility levels. >the casualty count that Hamas claims The Gaza Health Ministry's count is widely regarded as an underestimate, but mostly by people who don't refer to it with a dogwhistling caveat.
    - tguvot 9mo ago
      4000 deliveries in march of 2025. 50000 pregnant woman [1] 50,000 births by july of 2024 (starting with october 7th 2023) [2] you can sum and extrapolate the numbers. you can probably find more numbers about births [1] https://www.savethechildren.net/news/about-130-children-born-daily-gaza-amid-total-siege-aid-and-goods https://www.savethechildren.net/news/about-130-children-born... [2] https://www.savethechildren.net/news/women-self-inducing-labour-and-facing-life-threatening-complications-pregnancy-after-nine https://www.savethechildren.net/news/women-self-inducing-lab...
    - nailer 9mo ago
      [flagged]
      - topaz0 9mo ago
        Because the infrastructure required to document the deaths systematically was bombed to hell.
        FunnyUsername 9mo ago
        They don't rely on infrastructure like morgues, they collected casualty reports from a Google form, and later a self-hosted form: https://sehatty.ps/moh-registration/public/add-order https://sehatty.ps/moh-registration/public/add-order
- nailer 9mo ago
  [flagged]
  - cholantesh 9mo ago
    [flagged]
    - nailer 9mo ago
      [flagged]

kiliantics 9mo ago

The phrasing in the article shows very strong bias towards Israel in general

metabagel 9mo ago

I agree with you that it’s a genocide, but that is not universally accepted, so I think the scare quotes are OK. This article isn’t seeking to litigate the genocide in Gaza. Scare quotes don’t mean that it’s not true.