The following are questions that I genuinely don’t know the answer to about the Israel/Hamas conflict. And please, if you’re one of those people who reads the first question and decides that “Well, he’s obviously on the side of X!” then piss off and don’t waste your time reading the rest. The questions aren’t in any particular order or rating of importance.

1. What effort is the Palestinian National Authority’s security forces making to stop its area being using to fire missiles?

2. What is the Israeli justification for building settlements in the occupied area?

3. What is Hamas’ actual objective in firing missiles into Israel? It can’t be for a military victory, surely?

4. If Israel will not permit a proper Palestinian state, and won’t make Palestinians full citizens of Israel, how is Israel different from the apartheid South Africa’s National Party, controlling the lives of millions of non-citizens indefinitely?

5. Have Israel or Hamas provided evidence to a credible independent third party that Palestinian civilians/humanitarian buildings are/are not being used as military locations by Hamas?

6. Is Israel willing for the status quo in Palestine to continue indefinitely?

7. Does Israel not talk to Hamas not because they are terrorists but because Israel is genuinely not afraid of them? Israel has a treaty with Egypt, a country that tried to destroy Israel. The British spoke to the IRA. Reagan spoke to the Iranians.