White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday underscored that the Biden administration continues to support Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas following this week’s Israeli strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers.
Quick Read
- U.S. Support for Israel: John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, reaffirmed the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas, following a recent Israeli airstrike that resulted in the death of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers.
- Call for Caution: Despite backing Israel, Kirby emphasized the need for Israel to take greater care to avoid harming innocent civilians and aid workers during its military operations in Gaza.
- Concerns Over Conduct: The U.S. expressed concerns about Israel’s military tactics, suggesting that Israel, as a modern military and democracy, has not always fulfilled its responsibilities towards the civilian population of Gaza.
- Criticism of Israeli Actions: The airstrike on the aid convoy has intensified criticism of what some see as Israel’s indiscriminate bombings and disregard for civilian lives in Gaza, although Israel attributes civilian casualties to Hamas’ operations in densely populated areas.
- No Independent U.S. Investigation: Kirby stated that the U.S. does not plan to conduct its own investigation into the airstrike, but expects Israel to carry out a thorough, transparent inquiry into the incident and looks forward to reviewing the findings.
The Associated Press has the story:
White House: U.S. continues to support Israel’s right to defend itself
Newslooks- WASHINGTON – (AP)
White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday underscored that the Biden administration continues to support Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas following this week’s Israeli strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers.
Still, Kirby said Israel must do more to not kill and wound innocent civilians and aid workers as it carries out its operations in Gaza.
“As a modern military and a democracy, they have obligations to the innocent people of Gaza and they have not always have met those obligations,” Kirby said. “We are concerned about the methods too.”
The strikes on the charity’s convoy highlighted what critics have called Israel’s indiscriminate bombing and lack of regard for civilian casualties in Gaza. Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths, saying it operates in populated areas.
Kirby, however, said the U.S. has no plans to conduct its own investigation of the strikes.
“We expect the Israelis to conduct a thorough and comprehensive, complete and transparent investigation,” Kirby said. ”We look forward to finding out the results of that investigation. And we’ll move on from there.”
