‘Rules of War Must Be Adhered To’
Israeli actions in Gaza face increased scrutiny as Palestinian civilian deaths mount
Although the US government continues to stand behind Israel's right to defend itself following the October 7 Hamas attacks, the Israeli response is coming under scrutiny as thousands of Palestinian civilian deaths mount.
The Israeli military has been carrying out increasingly intense operations across Gaza since the surprise Hamas terrorist attacks earlier this month.
The death toll among Palestinians has surpassed 8,000 — mostly women and minors, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It’s a toll without precedent in decades of Israeli-Palestinian violence, and it is expected to climb even more rapidly as Israel presses its ground offensive.
Over 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during the initial Hamas onslaught.
While continuing to stand with Israel, there's become a growing call from American officials for the need not to conflate Palestinian civilians with Hamas.
The US government also is trying to increase the amount of humanitarian assistance which can reach those civilians, who have been living with conditions in which Israel has closed off supplies of food, water, fuel and other resources to Gaza.
“A terrorist organization, Hamas, slaughtered hundreds of young people at a concert. By most estimates, at least 1,400 Israelis are dead. Israel, without any question, has a right to defend itself. That being said, it is very important that there be no conflation between Hamas and the Palestinians,” said Vice President Kamala Harris. “The Palestinians deserve equal measures of safety and security, self-determination and dignity, and we have been very clear that the rules of war must be adhered to and that there be humanitarian aid that flows.”
Meanwhile, Rep Mark Pocan (D-Wis) is outright questioning continued US military support for Israel in the current conflict.
“But I have a real problem just continuing to fund Israel with munitions and extra weapons when we see what is happening right now,” said Pocan, a former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “Clearly, conditions have to happen over money or the White House has to be very stern in saying, ‘You have to allow humanitarian supplies in. You can’t target, just blanketly, civilians.’
“You know, the fact that now over 8,000 people have been killed, including 3,000 children — 3,000 children are not Hamas. Let's understand that,” he added. “We need to have a much more active role so that we can make sure more innocent people, the 2.2 million people who live in Gaza, are protected during what Israel, rightfully so, sees as their ability to go after Hamas. It's such a small part of the population there, we have to protect the masses and that’s 2.2 million people.”
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