How normalized does hatred have to be for anyone to think that this defense isn’t inherently despicable:

…falsity of the Israeli army’s claim that the Palestinian civilians subjected to torture in the presence of Israeli civilians were fighters involved in the October 7 attack

Hamas prisoners or not this is pure, unfettered zealotry and it’s embarrassing that these soldiers thought this would be a credible justification.

Edit: welp I did some digging and I don’t know what to believe now:

https://unwatch.org/un-human-rights-office-amplifies-blood-libel-by-terrorist-sympathizers/

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor’s leadership routinely posts antisemitic and pro-Hamas content online.

The chairman of Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor’s Board is none other than Richard Falk—the former UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine who has hailed Hamas’ “spirit of resistance,” justified Palestinian violence, and claimed that Hamas aims for “long-term peaceful co-existence.” While he was Special Rapporteur, Falk was at the center of multiple controversies that led to continuous calls for his resignation by the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, and others. According to the U.S. State Department, this was because of his “despicable and deeply offensive comments, particularly his anti-Semitic blog postings, his endorsement of 9/11 conspiracy theories, and his deplorable statements with regard to the terrorist attacks in Boston.” Falk had first called the Boston bombing a false flag and then justified it as a form of “resistance” that was “bound” to result from U.S. “military undertakings.” Even Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had to come out several times to publicly denounce Falk’s statements. Falk’s antisemitism has even gotten him fired from a Human Rights Watch committee.