Middle East Conflict: Happy 500th Day of War

Well, it’s been 500 days of conflict in Gaza.

In case you missed it, the casualties are stacking up on both sides.

And it’s long past time for this to end.

I have a feeling that President Trump just needs to make a call, and the guns will be put down.

We’re entering an era of peace.

All this war is so last year.

Time to get with the times, Israel and Palestine.

500 days of war… another morning under the smoke🇵🇸💔

The sun tries to rise between the rubble, and life clings to every corner despite the pain. 500 days of loss and resilience, yet hope still fights on 🇵🇸✌🏻🕊️❤️ #Gaza #Palestine pic.twitter.com/asLL0IW2Wt

— SaraFaridio 🇵🇸 (@SaraFaridio) February 17, 2025

500 days already?

My how time flies.

AP News reports:

Israelis have marked 500 days of war in Gaza with protests demanding further progress on a ceasefire so all remaining hostages can be returned.

People demonstrated in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Monday as less than two weeks remain in the ceasefire’s current phase. Talks on the more difficult second phase are yet to start. Over 70 hostages remain in Gaza, around half thought to be dead.

“I want my son. My son is not part of politics,” said Ayelet Samerano, mother of Yonatan Samerano, whose body is in Gaza after he was killed in the Hamas-led attack that sparked the war.

Over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza face their own uncertainty as Israel’s government appears to embrace U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate them from the war-ravaged territory. Trump has said they would not return.

That has created an outcry in the region, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to hear about it during his Middle East visit with stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He met Sunday with Israel’s prime minister.

Egypt is working on a counter-plan to redevelop Gaza with the Palestinians still in it. But first, there’s the question of whether the war will resume in early March when the ceasefire’s initial phase ends.

Israel will create a government body for Gaza departures

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TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s Defense Ministry says it will establish a government body to advance what it calls the “voluntary departure of Gaza residents.”

The announcement is the latest sign that Israel is embracing a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to transfer Palestinians out of Gaza. The plan has sparked outrage among Palestinians and across the Middle East. Within Israel, it has helped legitimize an idea that had been relegated to the far-right.

Trump says the U.S. would oversee years of cleanup and reconstruction in Gaza, but Palestinians would not be allowed to return. Trump and Israeli officials have described the proposed relocation as voluntary, but international legal experts say the plan, if implemented, could amount to a war crime.

Defense Minister Israel Katz’s office says the plan includes “extensive assistance that will allow any Gaza resident who wishes to voluntarily emigrate to a third country to receive a package that includes, among other things, special departure arrangements by sea, air, and land.”

HAPPENING TODAY: Today is the 500th day of the war triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack into southern Israel.#LiveDesk pic.twitter.com/yu76iz5UTv

— Steve McCarron KOMO (@SteveTVNews) February 17, 2025

The real question is, what is actually happening over there?

We get constant fake propaganda images in regards to this war, which is one reason why I never cover this topic..

Daily propaganda that diminishes actual suffering. 3 viral examples from just this last week

1) Freezing kids in snow, but there is no snow in Gaza.

2) Picture of a medical condition from Wikipedia posted as frostbite in Gaza

3) Picture of flooded tents in Sudan posted as Gaza pic.twitter.com/R4pxOlVBdU

— AG (@AGHamilton29) December 31, 2024

And here’s a ‘dead kid’ that can still move his legs.

The art of playing victim!!
This #Palestinian propagandist was pretending to lose his son in an Israeli attack, but the child ruined the act by moving his legs.

Most videos shared by that side are fake…
https://t.co/oNVHNvrQWy

— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) September 24, 2024

Lights, camera….action!

🎬All of this is produced in Gaza.
They basically have everything they need:
☑️Soldiers who look Israeli.
☑️Effects at the highest level.
☑️Vehicles that look like Israeli armored vehicles.
☑️Fake bombs.
☑️Fake smoke
☑️Fake Blood.
☑️Fake injuries
☑️Endless financial donations… pic.twitter.com/0vWEdea5XU

— GAZAWOOD – the PALLYWOOD saga (@GAZAWOOD1) April 13, 2024