"John Kirby responding to questions?"

Yes, I think so. At the time, the IDF had already admitted fault and was conducting an investigation. That investigation should be completed before anyone, let alone a spokesperson for the United States, says what the next steps should be. Note that Kirby did stand by the basic precept that there should be accountability.

It seems that @Frayedbear has found a new hobby horse. First he touted the Kremlin line of bullshit about Ukraine being the agressor in their war with Russia, all the while decrying US support for the only democracy in the fight. Now the frayed Russian bear thinks he sees another opening to attack America.

Let's not lose sight of the big picture.

Hamas is a creature of the Palestinian people. And both Hezbollah and Hamas are supplied by Iran, a theocratic dictatorship allied with the kleptocratic dictatorship which is modern Russia. It's autocracy vs. democracy.

Since 1948 the Palestinian people have been vehemently opposed to the existence of a Jewish state in the Levant. Rather than accept the UN mandate (and the opportunity for two states to exist side by side in peace), they started a civil war which they have been waging ever since.

Though much reduced, Hamas is still a lethal fighting force and is still actively waging war. Given the scale of the atrocities they committed on October 7, Israel is justified in pursuing them until they absolutely pose no threat.

Hamas is composed of Palestinians. They are the fathers, brothers, sons, and uncles of the civilians they hide behind after they pop out of a tunnel to shoot at Israelis. The Palestinian strategy is to pull at the world's heartstrings, to turn public opinion against Israel (and America), to sacrifice their own children on the altar of hatred for their Jewish cousins. (It's a family feud, and both sides are equally willing to shed the blood of the other.)

War is a dirty business; mistakes are always made; sometimes crimes are committed; in the end, there are no winners. These facts are eternal, as the night follows the day. Hamas not only knew this before October 7, they were counting on it.

The world made a commitment in 1948, to set up a state for a people who had been persecuted mercilessly for 2,000+ years. Should we blame the United States for honoring that commitment?

The Biden administration has called for restraint from Israel from the git go. But the USA is in a difficult position. We want to keep our commitment to support the only democracy in the region. But that democracy, like our own, is threatened from within by a corrupt, would -be dictator. Netanyahu and Trump are both cut from the same cloth. And just as we are finding it difficult to hold our own criminal ex-president to account, it is even harder to force the corrupt autocrat of a foreign sovereignty to behave with compassion or restraint.

We need to stick by our ally. If we don't, then they look weak. And perceived weakness would invite Iran and their proxies to attack, widening the conflict, possibly to the point of requiring American boots on the ground. Iran and Russia want that. We don't.

It looks like Biden has succeeded in deterring Netanyahu from attacking the remaining Hamas brigades in Raffa before large-scale humanitarian relief can be brought in, and civilians can be relocated. Let's hope that holds.

Hamas can end this today. All they need to do is lay down their arms and surrender. Will they do it? Probably not. They would rather sacrifice more of their own family members, so as to tug at our heart strings.

Will those same civilians repudiate Hamas? So far, they have not. They blame only Israel her allies. This failure to take responsibility for their own actions speaks volumes.

Should this conflict end immediately and forever? Absolutely. Will it? Not likely.

It was no error, it was completely deliberate. They want to starve the Palestinians who they can’t kill.