The US expects Israel to abide by humanitarian law, a Pentagon spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
“I think it’s important to remember that in all of our conversations with the Israelis, we absolutely reiterate the need to uphold humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict,” Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told a news briefing.
Asked by Anadolu if US officials are having discussions with their Israeli counterparts about unconditional military aid to Israel to ensure that these weapons do not cause civilian casualties in Gaza, Singh said the US expects any partner or ally to whom it provides weapons to abide by the laws of armed conflict, which the US also applies.
As for the risk of civilian casualties rising further if Israel expands its ground operation into southern Gaza, Singh said that was not something the US wanted to see.
“We know that there are innocent civilians who have moved from the north to the south of Gaza in search of safety, and so again, it’s something that the secretary (of defence Lloyd Austin) continues to talk to (Israeli defence minister Yoav) Galant about, the need to protect innocent civilians,” Singh said, adding that she did not want to speculate on what might happen in the south.
While the US continues to have conversations with Israel about protecting and preserving innocent lives, “we can’t forget that Hamas is putting innocent people in harm’s way,” she added.
Israel launched a relentless air and ground assault on Gaza after the Palestinian group Hamas launched a cross-border attack on 7 October.
The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza has risen to 14,128, the blockaded enclave’s health ministry said on Tuesday.
“The victims include more than 5,840 children and 3,920 women,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.
Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s air and ground assault on the besieged enclave.