If I give the IDF the benefit of the doubt, their initial debunked video analysis was the result of the fog of war and not having clear information, hastily putting out incorrect information in an attempt to quell the reaction that did occur. If they did fabricate the phone call, that was clearly out of desperation to minimize further international tensions- but is absolutely not how they should be operating. That said, it seems a little ridiculous with all the technology around deepfakes and Israeli’s extensive espionage assets they couldn’t produce a conversation with Gazan dialects. Regardless of all the noise, the very clear evidence is 1. Hamas made it sound like the hospital was leveled- which is far from the truth and 2. The damage is clearly not consistent with a 500lb+ bomb.
If you remember the maternity hospital in Ukraine that was bomb, the massive 10ft+ deep hole in the courtyard was caused by a 2000lb bomb. A 500lb bomb would have obliterated the parking lot. The most logical explanation of the visible damage is a small warhead combined with a bunch of rocket fuel… keep in mind rockets typically have a lot more fuel than they do payload.
As for the 500+ deaths, I think that is likely highly inflated but I don’t discount the possibility that people may have been sheltering in the hospital parking lot as it was seen as a safe zone. That said, I don’t see a lot of evidence that hundreds of people had been living in the parking lot. I’d expect to see remnants of shelters, supplies, cooking tools. Plus, Hamas immediately released a massive death toll- something that typically takes time to assess.
While the other Arab nations will not publicly recognize the evidence at hand pointing towards an Islamic Jihad, I would hope behind the scenes they are more l reasonable. These countries will never blame skip the opportunity to Israel as Israel serves as a foil that can be used to Gardner political power. But that doesn’t mean behind the scenes they aren’t more cooperative than their facade suggests.
