Intent does matter but actions and impact matter a lot more. Reality matters more than speculative alternate realities. Real lives matter more than hypothetical lives.

20,000 is 1% of 2 million. Israel has knocked off an entire percentage point of the population in a couple of months, mostly civilian. Sure, they could wipe out everybody in Gaza, but then even the US and Germany wouldn't be able to support them. Israel needs to maintain at least some pretext of legitimacy, as weak as it is, so their 'partners' can say 'Israel has the right to defend itself' and try their hardest to ignore questions of proportionality and international law.

If the IDF is trying not to kill civilians they are doing a criminally poor job. Reports indicate that IDF soldiers are actively targeting non-combatants. To dismiss these reports is to be complicit in these atrocities. Skepticism is healthy, but ignorance is not.

As for them not needing to use the nukes, I wouldn't be so sure. Their enemies have already demonstrated they are perfectly willing to 'martyr' themselves and civilians. If it's a bluff, it'll get called. If it's not a bluff, Israel craps in their own bed, irradiating their (and many other's) holy land -- which is why the bluff would likely be called.

Other significant context, when thinking about the legitimacy of the operation:

1. IDF knew of the planned attack a year beforehand and didn't take it seriously, despite additional warnings https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-attack-intelligence.html

2. Netenyahu supported Hamas for years https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-years-netanyahu-propped-up-hamas-now-its-blown-up-in-our-faces/

#gazagenocide #gaza