by Colin Liddell

Don’t accept a story unless you know all the details. This is especially true in wartime, when part of the battle is an attempt to manipulate information and your emotions.

Perhaps the most iconic and tragic moment of the Gazan War so far has been Thomas Hand, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri, claiming he was deeply relieved that his daughter Emily was dead rather than kidnapped and taken to Gaza by Hamas militants.

There could be all sorts of reasons why this moment has become so famous, not least that it serves certain agendas, but, that aside, it is compelling and dramatic in its own right.

However, the details of the story are somewhat blurry. From what we have been told, Thomas’s daughter was having a “girls’ night” sleepover party at a neighbour’s house, and Thomas was unable to get over there and rescue her when the attack occurred. We are then told that she was killed by the Hamas “militants” (or “terrorists” if you prefer).

This is possible. But other things are also possible.

It is clear that Hamas didn’t have things all its own way at Kibbutz Be’eri, with reports of much fighting.

And then what are we to make of pictures like this?