Information has since been reported by more objective parties that shows damage more in line with smaller explosives (so this is probably true), but the US lacks credibility on the conflict because no one sees them as a neutral (or even heavily biased) third party willing to challenge Israel. When Biden says he's "with Israel 100%" and tells diplomats not to call for restraint, that immediately makes the US government just another arm of the messaging war. There is a cost for stating up front you're all-in on one side.
Similarly, if Israel had a better track record of not lying about their attacks, people would be more willing to believe them when they say "it wasn't us". Going all-in all the time may yield short term gain in whatever current media cycle they're in, but it destroys their credibility in the long term. And since there have been periodic terrorist attacks followed by brutal military responses for my entire lifetime, they probably should have been thinking in the long term.
There have been a number of examples in past conflicts of misfired Hamas rockets striking Palestinian civilian areas in the Gaza Strip. During the August 2022 flareup between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, more than one-fifth of the 1,000 rockets fired toward Israel failed and landed in Gaza, where they caused one-third of the 44 deaths recorded.
It's indefensible that major news organizations immediately took Hamas at its word and posted headlines like "Israel bombs Gaza hospital killing 500" when this is what seems to have actually happened.
My heart goes out to the victims, however many there were, but journalists have to be better than this.
crazy that they had such powerful weapons but didn't use them in their initial attack and instead saved them for later! so crazy as to be difficult to believe
Stop defending terrorists in every thread dude, people like you keep saying Hamas doesn't represent the Palestinian people, yet you defend Hamas in every thread. Is Hamas good or bad? Just get it out there and admit that you support their tactics, but stop muddying the waters.