And has that count been independently verified…
I think the hardest part of watching this unfold (beyond the horror of how many innocent people are being killed) is seeing people jumping on unknown and unproven information. The fog of war is real…and there needs to be some distance.
We need to be willing (as observers) to wait for more information rather than jumping on and sharing every rumor. Babies were murdered…and then an even more horrible rumor that they were beheaded was put other there and has since been walked back. As if the horror of killings babies wasn’t enough?
Keeping Israelis and Palestinians in my prayers, and hoping diplomatic channels can resolve this horrible war and help the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
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See, this is just another math problem. How important is it whether 250 or 500 humans - children, adults, medical providers - lost their lives? A hospital of sick, injured, helpless and helpful (medical teams) was bombed! That is enough to know.
It is absolutely awful that people were injured and died at this hospital. However, from the information available now, it is misleading (and unnecessarily inflammatory) to say that “a hospital was bombed,” because no one intentionally targeted the hospital. The available information tells us that it was an accidental explosion in the hospital’s parking lot caused by a misfired rocket.
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Most news consumers want the breaking news as quickly as possible, even if (for the vast majority of them) there is no need to take urgent action based on the news. This creates incentive for news reporters and media companies to prioritize speed over accuracy, even if there is no intent to deceive on the part of the reporters or media companies (thought the involved actors may try to deceive the reporters or media companies). Hence, any breaking news should be treated with caution due to the likelihood of it being incomplete or inaccurate until further details and confirmation is obtained. But most people will jump to conclusions before getting the full story that may only be available later.
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Note that the US Government has qualified its assessment of responsibility for the hospital event as preliminary only.
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Accidental or intentional the hospital experienced an explosion/bombing that resulted in sick, injured, helpless and helpful humans dying. How it happened may still be questioned…but the results are still the same.
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Yes, war is terrible.
Don’t forget Hamas stores bombs and artillery underneath their hospitals.
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If you haven’t seen “Born in Gaza” on Netflix, I highly recommend it. The film maker followed several kids after the 2014 conflict. So heartbreaking to see what these innocent children had to endure.
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From what I have been reading, and a video I saw (not sure if its allowed in this thread), the hospital itself wasn’t all that badly damaged, but there were perhaps a lot of people in the area outside the hospital because per the Geneva convention the area is considered a “safe zone”.
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It sure is! So sad when innocent people are killed and injured! This area (Israel and Palestine) is going to have scars for years to come
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I do think we need to figure out who was responsible. But that shouldn’t stop people from being empathetic and feeling bad for those who were injured or killed.
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I feel like I’m going to be sick.
@PL3 I know you think words don’t mater but will you please watch the documentary mention in this thread, “Never Again” (free on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and several other streaming services)? When I watched it, from the very beginning, I thought of your comment. I’d be very curious on your thoughts on this documentary.
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I agree. I had to say at least 10 times today that when you use “genocide” incorrectly it only makes the group you are accusing of genocide targets of acts of hate. Words matter.
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I’ll watch it. But it probably won’t change my mind. I’ve heard too many bosses, politicians among others say one thing and do the complete opposite, without any pushback or criticism. I’m too jaded at this point of my life.
Thank you for keeping an open mind, I’m thinking we may be thinking differently about how words matter or not. It sounds like you are saying people do (or don’t do) one thing and say another - so those words don’t matter; where I’m saying what people say or don’t say influences people’s actions or inaction. Unfortunately I believe what people say, even if they don’t actually follow through with those actions themselves, influences others’ thoughts and ideas which can lead to their actions. Hope that makes sense. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts after you watch the documentary.
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