Jesse Stern

Some critical things to keep in mind with this terrible situation, and no, I have no answers to give, just some context: As we have stated many times over the years, munitions fail. The best munitions on the planet costing millions apiece fail. Rudimentary artillery rockets smuggled over great distances or built out of pipes and other available materials fail. This is a reality of warfare. Full stop. In Gaza, munitions are stored where Israel has trouble spotting and striking them — in urban buildings and in tunnels. Mistakes and accidental ignitions happen. Munitions even stored improperly can explode. Maybe that is not the case here, but it is a reality of this conflict that must be factored at all times. Also, Israel bombs targets that it considers as dual use — civilian structures it claims are housing militant capabilities or personnel. That is a fact. Bombing a hospital, especially as POTUS is heading to your country for a high-profile show of support, would be incredibly damaging and illogical. That doesn't mean it is impossible and targeting mistakes and breakdowns in the chain of command happen even with the most capable militaries. So do terrible decisions. That's a fact. Finally, there are many actors in this conflict all with agendas of their own, some of which are incredibly murky and they will do extreme things to see events unfold according to their needs. That's a fact. Regardless, this is all another reminder of how brutal this never ending conflict is and how average people pay the price for others' decisions that are out of their immediate control. But as of now, what exactly happened here and who is responsible is not clear. Evidence will likely change this in the future, especially considering how heavily surveilled that piece of land is, and especially now as the entire region sits on the brink.