Israel must distinguish between Hamas and Gaza civilians - White House
President Joe Biden pledged a large boost in funding to the Palestinian region on sunday, but the white house issued a warning that israel must safeguard innocent Gaza citizens by differentiating between Hamas fighters and civilians. There is a call on the israel Defence Forces (IDF) to prevent civilian deaths in Gaza. Over 8,000 people, half of whom were children, have already perished in three weeks of airstrikes carried out in retribution for the lethal Hamas assaults into israel on october 7, according to health officials in the Hamas-run region.
The two leaders "committed to the significant acceleration and increase of assistance flowing into Gaza beginning today and then continuously," according to a readout from the white house, during a phone conversation that Biden had on sunday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi about the protection of civilian lives.
The call was made as the Biden administration underlined how crucial it is to keep civilian lives safe despite the ongoing hostilities.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated on CNN's "State of the Union" chat show that "the IDF, the Israeli government, should be taking every possible means available to them to distinguish between Hamas -- terrorists, who are legitimate military targets -- and civilians, who are not."
When the two conversed during a conversation on sunday to talk about the events in Gaza, Biden sent a message directly to Netanyahu.
Biden "underscored the need to immediately and significantly increase the flow of humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza," according to a white house readout of the meeting.
"The president reiterated that israel has every right and responsibility to defend its citizens from terrorism and underscored the need to do so in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law that prioritizes the protection of civilians," according to the transcript.
However, Sullivan told CNN that "we do believe that thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed in this bombardment, and every single one of those deaths is a tragedy."
As Sullivan made his way across sunday talk shows, he said on ABC's "This Week" that Hamas is a "brutal terrorist organisation" that is "hiding behind the civilian population."
He added that Hamas has been stationing missiles and other "terrorist infrastructure" in residential areas, as well as utilising civilians as "human shields".
"But it doesn't lessen their (Israel's) responsibility under international humanitarian law and the laws of war to do all in their power to protect the civilian population."
The national security adviser said that US authorities are attempting to assist in securing the release of over 220 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in addition to providing relief to the hundreds of American Palestinians who are stranded there.
The call was made as the Biden administration underlined how crucial it is to keep civilian lives safe despite the ongoing hostilities.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated on CNN's "State of the Union" chat show that "the IDF, the Israeli government, should be taking every possible means available to them to distinguish between Hamas -- terrorists, who are legitimate military targets -- and civilians, who are not."
When the two conversed during a conversation on sunday to talk about the events in Gaza, Biden sent a message directly to Netanyahu.
Biden "underscored the need to immediately and significantly increase the flow of humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza," according to a white house readout of the meeting.
"The president reiterated that israel has every right and responsibility to defend its citizens from terrorism and underscored the need to do so in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law that prioritizes the protection of civilians," according to the transcript.
However, Sullivan told CNN that "we do believe that thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed in this bombardment, and every single one of those deaths is a tragedy."
As Sullivan made his way across sunday talk shows, he said on ABC's "This Week" that Hamas is a "brutal terrorist organisation" that is "hiding behind the civilian population."
He added that Hamas has been stationing missiles and other "terrorist infrastructure" in residential areas, as well as utilising civilians as "human shields".
"But it doesn't lessen their (Israel's) responsibility under international humanitarian law and the laws of war to do all in their power to protect the civilian population."
The national security adviser said that US authorities are attempting to assist in securing the release of over 220 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in addition to providing relief to the hundreds of American Palestinians who are stranded there.