John Kirby Empathizes With Reporter Who Says He Lost 160 Relatives In Gaza – Then Explains Why It’s ‘Not The Time’ For A Ceasefire
National Security Counsel spokesman John Kirby expressed his empathy and condolences to Alghad TV correspondent Sohail Al Shaer over the loss of family members in Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war continues, but stood firm on the Biden administration’s stance regarding a “general ceasefire” during the White House press briefing.
At Tuesday’s briefing, Press Secretary Karine-Jean Pierre was joined by Kirby, who spoke about Israel’s actions against terror group Hamas, which on October 7 launched an unprecedented and bloodthirsty attack on Israeli civilians that shocked the global community and started the war which continues to claim lives.
One question for Kirby came from Al Shaer, who is a correspondent for Cairo-based Alghad TV, a Pan-Arabic news network founded in 2012. Al Shaer began by saying that 160 of his relatives have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israel’s actions, and framed the question around the implication that by not calling for an immediate general ceasefire, President Joe Biden and his administration are allowing or indifferent to those deaths.
“Mr. Kirby, thousands of Palestinian civilians have fallen so far, including 160 of my own relatives,” he said. “And I’m just wondering how many Palestinian civilians need to be killed before the United States calls for a ceasefire.”
“First of all, my condolences to you and your family,” said Kirby, asking whether the reporter has been able to contact anyone still in Gaza, and then added, “I’m very sorry to hear that.”
Kirby said it’s personal for President Biden, too, but that any call for or pressure for a “general ceasefire” would only benefit Hamas.
In a follow-up question, Al Shaer asked if the United States would “guarantee” anyone evacuated from Gaza would be able to return.
“As I said in my opening statement, our policy is not to have some sort of permanent settlement outside of Gaza,” Kirby said. “For the people who call that home, we want them to be able to go back home, and do so safely and effectively.”
The full exchange:
AL SHAER: Mr. Kirby, thousands of Palestinian civilians have fallen so far, including 160 of my own relatives. And I’m just wondering how many Palestinian civilians need to be killed before the United States calls for a ceasefire.
KIRBY: First of all, my condolences to you and your family. Are you in touch with some —
AL SHAER: Well —
KIRBY: — that — that are still —
AL SHAER: — as much as I can.
KIRBY: Not as much as you’d like to be. Yeah. But I’m very sorry to hear that. I’m very sorry to hear that. And so, I can see this is obviously personal for you. I can tell you, it’s personal for the President too. We don’t want to see any more civilian casualties.
So, in terms of a ceasefire, our concern with that is that Hamas benefits to the — to the tune of being able to refit, renew themselves, plan and execute additional attacks. And as I said yesterday, right now is — is not the time for a general ceasefire.
It is, however, the time to consider pauses in the fighting, long enough so that folks like your relatives and family members can get this incredibly needed humanitarian assistance and perhaps a way to get out, if they want to get out. So, we’re — we’re supporting that, and we’ll see what we can do. But, again, my — my deepest condolences.
Watch the clip above via The White House on YouTube.
