For many Americans, there might be a temptation to disbelieve the enormity of what has happened in the Gaza Strip. After all, it is a catastrophe funded by our money, made possible by our weapons, condoned by our government and carried out by one of our closest allies. It’s little wonder that some want to downplay the damage.

Their defense is to cast doubt on the numbers. It goes something like this: The death toll, counted by the Hamas-run Health Ministry, must be an exaggeration to court international outrage. If it isn’t, then most of those killed were Hamas fighters, surely, not civilians. Either way, it can’t be worse than other horrors elsewhere, in South Sudan or Congo, in which we Americans are blameless. Taken together, it’s a potent repertoire of deflation and denial.

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