You have nothing to say regarding the ethnic cleansing. Is not planning an ethnic cleansing also something that is too much to expect in a war?

That accusation is serious and requires actual evidence. Ethnic cleansing involves the intentional and systematic removal of a population. If you're asserting that Israel is planning such a thing, then back it with a clear policy statement or an official document , not just your interpretation of events. War causing civilian displacement is not automatically proof of ethnic cleansing, especially when the stated and observed goal is to eliminate a terrorist group embedded within civilian areas, not to remove the population itself. (Gazan population has tripled in 3 decades).

I don’t wish for civilian deaths (no decent person does). And ideally...I’d hope for a more precise and nuanced dismantling of Hamas with far fewer civilian casualties. But let’s be honest, expecting zero civilian deaths in a war against an entrenched terrorist group that embeds itself among civilians is an impossible standard.

You’re deliberately misrepresenting this. The comment never claimed zero deaths was your standard , it responded to the reality that when a group like Hamas embeds itself in civilian areas, high casualties do occur even with precision efforts. It's not about wishing or not wishing for civilian harm; it's recognizing that asymmetrical warfare against an actor that uses civilians as shields leads to morally and operationally complex outcomes. If your argument is that tens of thousands prove excessive force, that’s a valid point to explore , but it’s distinct from accusing intent to mass murder civilians.

Why is it so hard to just say "yes, it's bad to kill so many innocent people and people need to be held accountable" without any "but"?

It’s not hard at all. It is bad. Innocent lives lost in war are tragedies, and investigations into disproportionate or reckless conduct should absolutely happen. But demanding accountability without considering context , like urban warfare, booby-trapped buildings, and human shields is not remotely intellectually honest. Accountability has to come from facts, not grand standing and emotional arguments.

Both sides have violated ceasefires at various points, so acting as if one is uniquely guilty serves no purpose.

That’s a factual statement. Israel has broken ceasefires, as has Hamas. Your question“Have you criticized Israel for violating ceasefires before?”is an assumption and I have in the same way you claim to dissavow Palestinian terrorism. Don’t pretend that the moral weight of ceasefire violations rests solely on one side when the historical record shows repeated infractions by both.

I have called out Hamas plenty of times before. I called out antisemitism, I called out people trying to conflate Israel and Judaism or Jews.

Good. That shows intellectual consistency. But then apply the same expectation to others. If someone says, “Hamas rockets are unacceptable, and Israel’s military response has at times been excessive,” that doesn’t make them a mouthpiece for the IDF. Complex conflicts allow for more than binary judgments.

Excuse me? I didn't downplay anything nor did I suggest it's trivial. I made the factually accurate statement that it's not daily which you agree with!

You’re nitpicking syntax instead of addressing the point. The original comment said rocket fire is sometimes daily which is true. You're using a rhetorical gotcha (“see, so it's not daily!”) instead of acknowledging that regular rocket fire, even if not every single day, remains a persistent threat to civilians. The phrase wasn’t “it’s daily” but “sometimes it’s daily” that’s accurate, not dishonest. The fact you even brought it up is what I take issue with...

That means Palestinian lives are worth less because otherwise Israel wouldn't treat them any different.

That doesn’t follow logically. Every country prioritizes its own citizens , it’s not unique to Israel. That doesn’t mean it views others as worthless...It means the role of any sovereign government is to ensure the safety of those it's responsible for first. If you want to argue that Israel systematically values non-Jews less in practice, that’s a different debate but this isn’t a unique Israeli principle.

You can't act like Israel doesn't treat it's minorities equally when you don't have the dame standard for any other nation (hint: There are no Jews in Gaza or West Bank and it's essentially illegal to be Jewish in Gaza).

Also, Israel isn't prioritizing Israelis because Arab Israelis have fewer rights. Or maybe by "its own people" you meant "Jews", as if Israel is an ethnostate?

Arab Israelis do face discrimination , it's certainly not perfect...That needs to be addressed and fixed. But they vote, serve in parliament, on the bench, and in the military. That doesn’t happen in an actual ethnostate. Is there inequality? Yes absolutely I agree. Does that make it apartheid or ethnic nationalism by definition? (Hint: The answer is a clear no by every accepted definition) unless of course you ignore nuance and context in favor of buzzwords.

If you're arguing for justice and accountability, that’s entirely fair. But don’t try to win the argument by framing any nuance or contextual explanation as moral cowardice. That’s not honest debate , it’s shameful posturing.