With regard to vilifying Israel for its collateral damage to Palestinians, we need to truly consider their options. Israel HAS learned from its past mistakes of trusting any word of Hamas. They have never been able to maintain any peace agreement with them. Besides, Hamas is not secretive about it. They do not want to co-exist. They state they do not want any peace with Israel. So, after their surprize attack that killed 1400 innocent Israelis including butchering babies and dragging gutted pregnant women behind trucks, they vow to repeat that every chance they get. Hiding behind innocent hostages and their own Palestinians, Hamas must be regarded as a deadly cancer that MUST be eliminated. If anyone has stage 4 cancer, the treatments have harmful side effects, like a destroyed immune system function and severe illness, but it’s that or let the cancer kill you. That isn’t the fault of the doctors, likewise not the fault of Israel that Hamas infected Gaza in this way. All anyone can do is their best to prevent innocent deaths, but the fact remains, Gaza is terminally ill with Hamas. To be a citizen or hostage there is deeply unfortunate, and anyone who survives is lucky.