(CNN) – The United States is intensifying its pressure on Israel to make more efforts to protect civilians, after the resumption of combat operations against Hamas and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated on Saturday that US support for Israel is “non-negotiable,” in remarks during a forum in California, but he also stressed that protecting civilians in Gaza is critical to Israel’s long-term success against Hamas.
“I learned a thing or two about urban warfare during my time fighting in Iraq and leading the campaign to defeat ISIS,” Austin said. “The lesson is not that you can win urban warfare by protecting civilians. The lesson is that you can only win urban warfare by Protection of civilians.”
The US Secretary of Defense added: “As you can see, in this type of combat, the center of gravity is the civilian population, and if you push them into the arms of the enemy, you exchange tactical victory for strategic defeat.”
Austin added, “I have repeatedly made clear to Israeli leaders that protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is a moral responsibility and a strategic necessity.”
Israel is bombing the Gaza Strip after the collapse of a fragile truce that saw the release of dozens of hostages on Friday.
Austin’s comments are consistent with the statements of US Vice President Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, on Saturday, who said that “a very large number of innocent Palestinians have been killed.”
Harris added: “As Israel pursues its military objectives in Gaza, we believe Israel must do more to protect innocent civilians.”
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, spokesman for the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza, said Saturday that Israeli raids on Gaza led to the deaths of at least 15,207 people and the wounding of at least 40,652 others, and that at least 70% of the deaths Of women and children.
The Israeli blockade on the Palestinian Strip has led to major shortages of food, fuel and medicine, crushed the medical system, and left 2.2 million Gazans at risk of drought and famine.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) estimated that about 1.8 million people have been displaced in Gaza since October 7. Human rights organizations said that Israeli attacks on civilians amount to a war crime, as does their forced evacuation.
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2023-12-03 13:59:43
