‘Can You Still Say That Israel Is Following The Laws Of War?’: White House Asked As Death Toll Rises
On Tuesday, Admiral John Kirby was asked about Israel following the law of war and the future of Gaza.
Transcript
00:00 The UN Secretary General said Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children.
00:05 He said the IDF is hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches, and UN facilities,
00:11 including shelters.
00:12 So if a war zone is becoming a graveyard for children, can you still say that Israel is
00:17 following the laws of war?
00:19 What I'll tell you is that we continue to stress to our Israeli counterparts that they
00:22 be as discriminant and careful when they're targeting as possible.
00:26 And it is sad to see, it's horrible to see the images of young kids being pulled out
00:31 of rubble and so many of them not making it.
00:36 Hamas is putting those children and their families in greater danger by not letting
00:42 them go, by encouraging them to stay, by sheltering in their homes, building tunnels under their
00:49 hospitals, and by holding children hostages.
00:53 We know that there's a portion of the 240 plus that they're holding as hostages.
00:58 They're our kids.
00:59 They're kids.
01:00 And we've been trying mightily to get those children released.
01:04 We've had no success so far.
01:06 And Israel's Prime Minister told ABC News that Israel will have "overall security responsibility"
01:12 over Gaza for an indefinite period.
01:14 But the President said that it would be a big mistake for Israel to reoccupy Gaza.
01:19 So how much daylight is there between what Israel and the U.S. see as the future of Gaza?
01:23 We're having active discussions with our Israeli counterparts about what post-conflict Gaza
01:27 ought to look like.
01:28 The President maintains his position that a reoccupation by Israeli forces is not the
01:34 right thing to do.
01:35 We'll let them speak to their intentions, but we are definitely having conversations
01:38 about what the post-conflict environment ought to look like and what governance in Gaza ought
01:42 to look like.
01:43 One thing there's absolutely no daylight on is Hamas can't be part of that equation.
01:48 Can't go back to October 6th.