Mikey Lebrett

Postdoctoral Fellow @WeizmannScience (inhaled mRNA therapies). Previously, PhD student @OfficialUoM (lung cancer screening selection).

[Lt. Col. (R) Peter Lerner @LTCPeterLerner]

I was asked several times today about the optics of Hamas’ obvious strength.
Here’s the real optics:
A few hundred people crammed together to make it look like endless masses.
Today the images from the ground were orchestrated by Hamas, they wanted to project power, everything thing they show is manipulation.

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

@SkyNews This is false. There have been dozens of rocket attacks from Gaza in the past months. Today's is the first attack on Tel Aviv https://t.co/9xqdtSaJpB

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

@patrick_goodley @LungCheck Nice work, Patrick!

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

@DBashIdeas Troubled by the hubris of my fellow Olim in these comments. Jewish history has taught us that there is no guarantee of miraculous salvation, whether within Israel (586BC; 70AD) or outside of it (1941-45).

[Aizenberg @Aizenberg55]

🧵Media, NGO & UN claim that Hamas casualty numbers in past wars have been accurate, therefore reliable today. This assertion is totally false. Hamas lied about casualties in every past war and they are lying now. @UNLazzarini is lying too. See below for detailed analysis: 1/14

[Eylon Levy @EylonALevy]

Martin Griffiths, @UNReliefChief, denies Hamas is a terrorist organization. No wonder he is abusing his power to save Hamas' skin after the deadliest terror attack since 9/11 instead of demanding its surrender.

[Yaakov Katz @yaakovkatz]

The combatant-to-civilian death ratio in this war is unprecedented.

I’ll explain: The international media regularly quotes Hamas claims that around 25,000 people have been killed in Gaza. They of course do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.

If we are, for argument’s sake, going to accept Hamas numbers then we should also accept IDF numbers that the military has killed around 9,000 combatants (if you accept a terrorist’s numbers please have the decency to accept the democracy’s claims too).

With those numbers, the combatant-civilian death ratio in Gaza is about 1:1.5 and less than 1:2. In other words, for every combatant killed, around 1.5 civilians are killed.

Every loss of civilian life is tragic, but with this ratio, not only should Israel not be accused of genocide (that’s obvious), world leaders should be applauding the IDF’s precision-strike capabilities. As a point of reference, according to the UN, civilians usually make up around 90 percent of casualties in war. That’s a 1:9 ratio (one combatant for every nine civilians).

What is happening in Gaza is unique - it is a new form of warfare (urban setting, extensive use of human shields and massive tunnel infrastructure) and still the ratio is low.

What the IDF is doing will be studied by other militaries for decades to come. No other military in the world has ever achieved this.

[Yashar Ali 🐘 @yashar]

The Israeli government is not going to be guided by a United Nations vote, no matter who vetoes or doesn’t veto.

In fact, a resolution that calls for a ceasefire that doesn’t get vetoed will just serve to validate how the Israeli government feels about the UN: that it is a corrupt organization unconcerned with the safety of Jews at best, and going out of its way to ensure that Jews aren’t safe at worst.

And while the United States cutting off weapons and money would slow it down and make things much more expensive, that ultimately is not going to stop the Israeli government from attempting to achieve its military objectives, which, from the perspective of the government and most Israelis, is about the protection of the Jewish people.

Do Israelis and their government wish to be isolated from the world? Of course not. But many Israelis place the protection of Jewish life as the top priority…that’s why they live in Israel! So being isolated isn’t going to rank at the top of that list if it means giving up safety.

Bringing up historical examples of the Israeli government shifting its strategy based on outside pressure does not apply here, as there was no October 7th in the past. It is hard to describe in a few sentences how tectonic of a shift October 7 led to. For many Israelis, and as a result, the Israeli government, they are facing an existential threat. Some would even say an apocalyptic threat.

Bringing up quotes said by Netanyahu and others in the war cabinet about how they need the United States also doesn’t apply to this scenario. The Israeli government always prefers to have the full support of the United States. It’s much easier! They’ll take all they can get. But if they don’t have it, it’s not going to ultimately change long-term goals.

The bottom line is, if Israel is completely isolated by the international community, it’s not going to adjust what it thinks are the military actions that will preserve the state of Israel and protect the Jewish people. Even if that means going completely on its own.

Israelis, and to a certain extent many Jews, already assume they will be alone in protecting themselves anyway.

Now, when some people read this, they’ll say, “Ok fine then, we can cut everything off.” If you believe that the United States shouldn’t be providing weapons and money to Israel, then you should advocate for it to stop.

My point is, don’t expect Israel to ultimately change its military objectives. People want clean solutions, or as clean as possible. They hope if they push Biden and he cuts off Israel, it will stop Israel's military actions, but it won’t! And when they hear that, they get upset because the basis of their activism was so absolute it doesn’t allow for any nuance or a multi-layered strategy.

Israel is unique. It’s a state for the protection of a tiny minority of people; nothing else exists like it on the planet. Expecting it to follow the same strategies will just end up in disappointment.

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

@ProfEmmaCrosbie @FBMH_UoM @DrEleanorJones @drhelenclarke @ECTeamSMH @peachestrust @OfficialUoM @UoM_DCS @MCRCnews @MFT_Research @ManchesterBRC Congrats to all!

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

This is absolutely bananas. My eyes are even wider than @EylonALevy's

[Eylon Levy @EylonALevy]

The first question that left me speechless (but only for a second):

[Eylon Levy @EylonALevy]

The first question that left me speechless (but only for a second):

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

@gershonbaskin Just like Israel provided hard indisputable evidence for the Oct 7 massacre? That went down well, didn't it?

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

Hamas rocket impact 5 minutes from my home

[Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian @manniefabian]

Footage shows a rocket impacting near a highway in central Israel, setting fire to a utility pole.

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

@PMurawala @EladBassat Simply a matter of intent. One side intends to kill children, the other doesn't.

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

@PMurawala This is a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation. Hamas have absolutely NO interest in 'talking' or 'finding a solution'. Their sole aim is to kill Jews and destroy Israel. They say it themselves and have now proven it. The sooner the West understands this the better.

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

Hundreds of innocent civilians murdered, terrorists overrunning Israeli towns, kidnapping children and the elderly. We are safe, but my family has had to run to our shelter 15+ times in 36 hours. Do not stay silent. This situation is horrific and was unimaginable. (2/3)

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

Until now, I have reserved my social media postings to work-related matters. I cannot stay silent today. What we have experienced in Israel over the past three days has been traumatic beyond words. This is the greatest single attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. (1/2)

[Dr Saskia Sanderson @SCSanderson]

Conclusion: "PRSs (#polygenicriskscores) may improve #lungcancer risk prediction and screening selection. Further research, particularly examining clinical utility and cost-effectiveness, is required."

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

@ProfEmmaCrosbie @drnikiflaum @drchloebarr @drhelenclarke @DrEleanorJones @ECTeamSMH @ManchesterBRC @MCRCnews A fantastic mentor and supervisor!

[Mikey Lebrett @MLebrett]

My main PhD research is now published in @GIMJournal! Lung cancer screening saves lives, but we NEED to select the right participants. Can screening selection be improved by including genetic risk? We tested 9 PRSs in a high-risk cohort to find out!
https://t.co/KvO0kEludb