Amid Thousands of Dead Palestinians, Fox News Host Asks John Kirby If Israel Is Being Too ‘Careful’ in Gaza
Fox News host Martha MacCallum asked White House spokesman John Kirby if Israel is being overly cautious in its military campaign in Gaza, which Israel launched in response to the Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis and abducted 240 others.
Israeli officials have repeatedly claimed they are trying to minimize civilian casualties, but a U.S. intelligence assessment stated that unguided “dumb bombs” have been used in nearly half of Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza, a 141-square mile strip of land with 2.3 million inhabitants – roughly half of whom are children. Intelligence estimates say Israel dropped 22,000 such bombs on Gaza in the first six weeks of the war. All were provided by the U.S.
The health ministry in Gaza, which Hamas controls, claims some 18,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, about two-thirds of whom were women and children. Additionally, dozens of journalists have been killed.
Israel has issued evacuation orders to Gazans, most of whom have now been displaced. Ahead of its ground invasion, Israel ordered residents of northern Gaza to evacuate. Now, the Israeli government has issued multiple evacuation orders for southern Gaza and is advising two million people to move to an area that is smaller than Heathrow Airport. Israel also has the ability to cut the water and electricity supply to Gaza, which it has done during the war. Human Rights Watch has called the acts “collective punishment” that amounts to a “war crime.”
While speaking with Kirby on Friday’s edition of The Story, MacCallum played a snippet from an interview she conducted with former Israeli diplomat Shahar Azani.
“We are dealing with a diabolical enemy that’s using our hostages as human shields,” he said. “And even I can tell you now, Martha, is actually booby-trapping those tunnels by using teddy bears, backpacks of children and voices of dolls in Hebrew to lure in the IDF of soldiers to make them think, Martha, that it’s one of the Bibas babies.”
MacCallum asked Kirby if he agrees with the assessment, and whether the White House is pressuring Israel to temper its military response in which more than 100 Israeli soldiers have been killed.
“So, would you agree with that – that they are being so careful because of the rules of engagement, that they’re losing more IDF soldiers? And are the rules of engagement in part coming from the White House?”
“We are not dictating rules of engagement on the battlefield to another military,” Kirby replied. “We would have no right to do that. No, not at all.”
Kirby added, “As I have been saying now for so many days, they have taken seriously and they have been receptive to the messages about being careful and cautious. And they have taken steps to try to be more targeted and more precise.”
Despite Kirby’s remarks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has repeatedly expressed concerns in public about the mounting death toll in Gaza. Privately, however, Blinken reportedly told Israeli officials, “We don’t want to stop you.”
President Joe Biden has also publicly urged the Israelis to do what they can to minimize civilian casualties. Simultaneously, however, he has urged Congress to pass a $14 billion aid package to the country, in addition to the $3.8 billion in aid the U.S. gives Israel each year without conditions. Biden has also been shipping weapons to Israel, but has refused to disclose what they are.
Last week, the U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding a humanitarian ceasefire. This week, it voted against a non-binding General Assembly resolution calling for a ceasefire. The resolution passed 153 to 10 with 23 abstentions.
Watch above via Fox News.
