Newsweek Discovers 'Double-Tap' Strikes Don't Come With Rescue Radios
Newsweek’s recent report highlights the heartbreaking detail that initial survivors of a 'double-tap' strike in Gaza — where a site is hit, then hit again as first responders arrive — didn’t have radio backup to coordinate rescue. This nuanced concern conveniently bypasses the core issue: the documented use of such tactics against civilian populations. This isn't an isolated incident; Human Rights
Watch and the UN have repeatedly documented similar patterns of targeting infrastructure and first responders, (e.g., Doctors Without Borders facilities in Gaza, 2023, or Syrian hospitals, 2016-2019). It raises questions about how many 'accidental' secondary explosions it takes before it's identified as policy. One might wonder if the concern for radio logistics would extend to, say, the billions
in unconditional U.S. military aid that funds the ordnance for these strikes. For instance, Rep. Steny Hoyer, a frequent recipient of AIPAC funds (over $20,000 in 2022 alone, per OpenSecrets.org), recently voted for HR 815, providing further aid without any conditions on targeting practices. Are we to believe the tragedy here is a communication breakdown, and not, perhaps, the deliberate targeting
of the wounded and their rescuers? It's a curious framing, suggesting the execution was flawed, not the act itself.