The bombing of the hospital in Gaza, killing hundreds of sick and wounded patients, is a tragedy of the highest order.

It was also a failure for the media.

There was a rush to judgment that the Israeli military had carried out this heartbreaking attack.

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The New York Times banner headline: "Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say."

At least there was that attribution. But think about it: it was really Hamas saying that. Hamas, which controls the government. Hamas, which commits unspeakable atrocities against women, children and babies. Hamas, which has a long history of lies and deception.

Still, my gut reaction was to question why Israel would possibly do this and be condemned around the world, especially hours before President Biden’s visit. Targeting hospitals is exactly the kind of thing the Israelis don’t do.

And, it turns out, they didn’t. The Israeli military said it had nothing to do with the hospital tragedy. 

The New York Times wasn’t alone in the initial reports blaming Israel. The Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Reuters and AP were among those carrying similar stories.

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The right course would have been to say there’s been a terrible explosion at the Al-Ahli Hospital, and we can’t confirm who is responsible, but we will bring you the latest news when we have it.

Israeli intelligence – and, Biden said yesterday, U.S. intel as well – say it was errant rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Israel’s Channel 12 has footage of such a rocket being fired near the hospital and the explosion moments later. And Tel Aviv says it intercepted a call between two Palestinians acknowledging that the rocket was fired from within Gaza. The Islamic Jihad rockets are notoriously inaccurate.

What’s more, the main damage was done in the hospital’s courtyard, not the building itself, so even the Hamas claim of 500 killed has to be treated with skepticism, though the place was also used as a shelter for evacuees.

Nonetheless, Biden’s planned meetings with the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority were abruptly canceled. And anti-Israel protests were staged across the region.

What about the facts? Facts don’t matter in war, especially for Hamas propagandists. No one on the terrorists’ side is going to worry about unfairly blaming the Netanyahu government, not when the official Hamas position is that Israel should be wiped off the map.

What, then, did Biden accomplish in Tel Aviv? 

He comforted community leaders and victims of Hamas violence, a moving scene even though we could barely hear the whispered voices.

He gave another passionate speech telling Jews "you are not alone":

The attacks have "brought to the surface painful memories and scars left by a millennia of anti-Semitism and the genocide of the Jewish people. 

"The world watched then, it knew, and the world did nothing. We will not stand by and do nothing again. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever." 

And the president secured Israel’s reluctant agreement to allow U.S. humanitarian aid into Gaza, where the evacuation from the north has created an increasingly urgent need for food, water and medicine. (Israel can call a halt if Hamas starts stealing the supplies.)

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Biden’s handling of the Mideast crisis has drawn a striking degree of bipartisan praise. Richard Haass, who worked in the Bush administration, said yesterday on MSNBC that the Biden speech was "masterful." Conservative columnist Bret Stephens, in the New York Times, called his handling of the war "the president’s finest hour."

Things may still fall apart in the Middle East. Biden’s political problems and lousy polling haven’t disappeared. A majority of Democrats still don’t want the 80-year-old president to run again.

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But right now we are seeing a shining example of how age and experience can be indispensable qualities in a time of crisis.

Three children were killed in a house fire in New Orleans early Wednesday morning that was allegedly set by their father following a domestic dispute, police said.

In a press release, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) said that at 11:55 p.m. on Tuesday night police received a phone from a woman who claimed that the father of her three children was threatening to burn their home down.

Just ten minutes later, a fire was reported at the family's residence.

Police and firefighter were immediately dispatched to the scene and arrived at the home to find it engulfed in flames at 12:20 a.m. 

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First responders rescued an 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl, who were transported to the hospital, but were pronounced deceased about an hour later. Police said that a third child, a 3-year-old boy, was also discovered inside the home dead.

Police said that the children's mother was at work at the time of the fire and not at home.

Authorities said that they immediately began investigating the fire and identified 29-year-old Joseph Washington, Sr. as the children's father.

Washington Sr. was quickly identified as the "prime suspect" for setting the fire and killing his three children, police said.

Washington Sr. was apprehended by police following a manhunt on Wednesday.

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Authorities said that they found the 29-year-old's vehicle abandoned and partially submerged in the Mississippi River. 

Later in the day, police received intelligence that Washington Sr. was in another vehicle on the I-610 Eastbound at the Elysian Fields exit. He was apprehended by police, despite attempting to flee by jumping off the overpass.

Washington Sr. has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile and one count of aggravated arson.

The cause of death of the children has not been released by the coroner, police said.

At a press briefing Wednesday, New Orleans interim Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick called the children's deaths "tragic and senseless."

"We are here because of the tragic and senseless, horrific deaths of three young children last night in a domestic violence situation," Kirkpatrick said. "Collectively we are outraged, we are disappointed, we are deeply saddened."

"The person responsible will be held accountable," she added.