On August 26, 2021, America lost 13 warriors to a cowardly suicide bombing attack at the Kabul airport. That attack happened as American forces were following the surrender and retreat orders of their commander-in-chief, Joe Biden.

In retaliation, Biden authorized an airstrike that ended up killing a U.S. aid worker and nine members of his family, seven of whom were children. At first, Team Biden did a bit of chest-thumping over the tough response to American deaths. Weeks later, when what officials called a “tragic mistake” became undeniable, it was quietly made public as a Friday afternoon news dump.

No U.S. troops were punished for that strike, which was probably the correct decision given that orders came from higher up. But no Pentagon leaders were held accountable, either. Biden certainly never accepted responsibility. His name doesn’t even show up in NPR’s December 2021 — four months later — story about no punishments.

We rehash that history because civilian casualties are the unfortunate result of war and because the episode sheds informative light on an Israeli airstrike that killed seven international aid workers, including one American, early this week in Gaza.

First of all, like Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Hamas’s murderous strike in Israel — funded and backed by Iran — and Israel’s subsequent war to destroy Hamas likely never would have happened if Joe Biden were not the commander-in-chief. His disgraceful exit from Afghanistan set the stage for chaos and war around the world.

Second, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly took responsibility and apologized publicly for “a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip.” He added, “It happens in war, we check it to the end, we are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again.”

Two Israel Defense Forces officers were dismissed, and three others were officially reprimanded. “Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not [World Central Kitchen] employees,” the IDF said in a statement. “The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures.”

Given the animosity Israel faces around the world, that certainly wasn’t going to be the end of it. The World Central Kitchen suspended operations, and its leaders are understandably outraged, though their accusations that the IDF is “deliberately” targeting workers are overblown.

Remember, human shields are a key part of Hamas’s strategy. The opposite is true of Israel. Hamas works to ensure that civilians die because it draws sympathy from ignorant quarters that are already predisposed to opposing Israel.

Predictably, Team Biden panders to those ignorant quarters.

Saying he’s “outraged and heartbroken” over the deaths, Biden smeared Israel for killing civilians without noting Hamas’s role. “Israel has not done enough,” he insisted, “to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians” or “to protect civilians” more generally.

The same Joe Biden who thrives on avoiding accountability called Netanyahu and pressured him to change Israel’s strategy and tactics. He then went to great lengths to ensure everyone knew the contents of that phone call. The White House said in a statement that the president wants “measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.” Biden also again demanded an “immediate ceasefire” — never mind that Hamas has rejected every other attempt at a ceasefire and started the war in the first place.

Biden’s subordinates trotted out to echo their boss. “If we don’t see the changes that we need to see,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned, “there will be changes in our policy.” He even cautioned that Israel risks “becoming indistinguishable” from Hamas and its terrorist brutality.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby added: “If there’s no changes to their policy in their approaches, then there’s going to have to be changes to ours. There are things that need to be done. There are too many civilians being killed.”

Kirby insisted that U.S. support for Israel is still “unwavering,” but he admitted that Team Biden is also reconsidering. That’s contradictory and hardly reassuring.

The White House also made sure to leak that Jill Biden is very upset. “Stop it, stop it now, Joe,” she is reported to have told him about civilian casualties.

What effect will the Biden administration’s outcry have? It depends on whether Israel eventually bows to pressure and stops short of finishing the job of destroying Hamas. But Team Biden has given Hamas a clear message: Make sure civilians die so as to pressure Israel.