John Kirby, the National Security Council’s Strategic Communications Coordinator, condemned a recent Israel Defence Forces (IDF) strike in Rafah, expressing deep sorrow over the loss of innocent lives, including children.
In a statement, Kirby lamented the tragic images and reports from Rafah over the weekend, where an IDF strike resulted in the deaths of dozens of innocent Palestinians, including children. He described the scenes as “heartbreaking” and “horrific.” Emphasizing the need to prevent civilian casualties in the conflict, Kirby stated, “There should be no innocent life lost here as a result of this conflict.”
While acknowledging Israel’s right to target Hamas, Kirby stressed the importance of protecting civilians. He remarked, “But as we’ve also said many times, Israel must take every precaution possible to do more to protect innocent lives.” Kirby noted that the strike had aimed at two senior Hamas terrorists but reiterated the need to avoid harming civilians.
Addressing concerns about a potential major ground operation in Rafah, Kirby stated, “We still don’t believe that a major ground operation in Rafah is warranted.” He expressed concerns about large-scale military actions, adding, “We still don’t want to see the Israelis, smash into Rafah with large units over large pieces of territory.”
Kirby assured that the US government was closely monitoring the situation and engaging with Israeli defense forces to gather more information. He concluded by emphasizing the tragic nature of each innocent life lost, stating, “I want to just end this answer by making it very clear that regardless, every single loss of innocent life is tragic, and every single loss of innocent life should be prevented as much as possible.”
The White House confirmed on Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s policy towards Israel remains unchanged despite the deadly strike in Rafah on Sunday, which resulted in over 45 deaths, according to media source. This indicates that the incident has not prompted a change in American support. Palestinian authorities reported that at least 29 people were killed on Tuesday in two Israeli strikes on displacement camps in southern Gaza.
Media source Eyewitnesses informed that Israeli tanks were observed in central Rafah for the first time, indicating that Israel’s assault continues despite global criticism.
Additionally, US officials disclosed that the temporary pier constructed by the US military to deliver aid into Gaza collapsed in heavy seas on Tuesday, posing a significant setback to the American-led initiative to establish a maritime corridor for humanitarian supplies.
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