Sky News Anchor Grills Israeli Minister on Civilian Casualties: ‘Is It Something That You’re Uncomfortable With?’
Sky News presenter Sophy Ridge grilled Israel’s minister for strategic affairs over the number of Palestinian civilians who have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Israel has been conducting strikes against Hamas-controlled Gaza since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in which militants killed 1,400 Israelis and abducted more than 200. The Israeli Defense Forces have been bombing the territory of 2.3 million and have initiated a ground incursion that has encircled Gaza City.
Appearing on Sky News, Ron Dermer claimed Israel has killed “several thousand” Hamas fighters, but said he was unable to provide any information about the number of civilian deaths.
“What is your estimate for the number of Hamas fighters that you’ve killed?” Ridge asked.
“Several thousand,” he replied. “I can’t give you the specific estimate, but it’s definitely north of 3,000, maybe close to 4,000 already.
Ridge then turned to the civilian toll, which Dermer said he did not know:
RIDGE: Well, let’s talk about two civilians, shall we? Three to 4,000, you say roughly your estimate for Hamas operatives.
DERMER: At least.
RIDGE: Now, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry estimates that 10,000 civilians have been killed in Gaza since the October 7th attacks. What’s your estimate for the number of civilians in Gaza who’ve been killed?
DERMER: I don’t know the actual estimate. I know that in previous rounds we’ve heard that there were this or that number of civilians. And then–
RIDGE: How can you how can you not know? You must have some kind of estimate.
DERMER: I don’t know how many. I don’t know how many people were killed in Gaza. I don’t know how many terrorists were killed.
RIDGE: And just how can you give me an estimate, a rough estimate, I understand, for the number of Hamas fighters and not an estimate for the number of civilians? Is it something that you’re uncomfortable with?
DERMER: No, it’s not, because I just don’t know. Because what happens when you have a military unit that’s going through an area and they may find out, you know, 30 terrorists came out to attack them and those 30 terrorists were killed and that would come back to us. But exactly how many civilians? I know what the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, has reported. I don’t know if that’s true, if it’s not true. I know in the past when they tried to say how many of them are civilians and how many of them are fighters, they said, you know, it’s 80% or 90% civilians. And it turns out it’s almost 50/50. So I don’t know. We’ll have to wait. I guess we’ll get the facts later. But listen, every civilian who was killed is a tragedy.
RIDGE: Surely you must have a better grip on the number of civilians who are losing their lives.
DERMER: I really don’t. Sophy. You’re welcome to go and speak to the people in Gaza, if you know better than I do. I mean, I’m just in Israel’s war cabinet, so what do I know? I can’t tell you. I can’t tell you the number of people. What I can tell you, that every civilian who was killed in Gaza is a tragedy and they are the unintended consequence of legitimate warfare. It happens in every war, particularly in a war where we’re dealing with an enemy that uses their own civilians as human shields.
Watch above via Sky News.
