White House spokesman John Kirby defended Israel following international outrage over an airstrike that reportedly killed dozens of civilians in the Gaza Strip, stating that the U.S. military has similarly conducted airstrikes that resulted in civilian casualties.
“We have conducted airstrikes in places like Iraq and Afghanistan where, tragically, we caused civilian casualties,” Kirby remarked during Tuesday’s regular White House briefing. He emphasized that both the U.S. and Israel respond to such incidents by owning up to them, investigating, and making changes to prevent future occurrences.
Kirby referenced past U.S. bombings, including a 2021 airstrike in Afghanistan that killed a father and his children, highlighting that the U.S. took responsibility and implemented procedures to avoid repetition. He expects Israel to follow a similar approach.
The defense came after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza, killed at least 44 displaced Palestinians, prompting global condemnation. Kirby noted that Israel used precision bombs in the strike and that Hamas admitted two of its senior leaders were among those killed, indicating they were hiding among civilians.
Preliminary Israeli military findings suggest a secondary explosion caused the civilian deaths. Kirby stated, “Hamas itself put out a statement celebrating the martyrdom of two of its fighters… So I don’t know how anybody could dispute that they weren’t trying to go after Hamas in a targeted, precise way in this regard.”
He added that Israel’s use of 37-pound, precision-guided munitions indicates an effort to be discrete and targeted, though the tragic results warrant investigation. Kirby also reminded critics that Hamas initiated the conflict with its October 7th attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking hundreds hostage, including five Americans.
Kirby concluded by affirming Israel’s right to defend itself and stating that the U.S. would continue to support Israel's efforts to combat threats from Hamas. President Biden, while initially supportive of Israel, has recently been critical of the Israeli military, including halting the delivery of some heavy bombs to deter an offensive against Hamas-controlled areas.
