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Correction of typo in paragraph 5 of the quote “Seeing an end to this war”
On Tuesday, the United States expressed its concern about the “horrific” Israeli raid in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the death of a large number of children, and said it was asking its ally for answers.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters, “We are deeply concerned about the loss of civilian lives in this incident. This was a horrific incident with a horrific outcome,” referring to “reports of twenty children killed” in the bombing that destroyed the school. Five-storey building in Beit Lahia.
“We have reached out to the Israeli government to ask what happened here,” Miller said.
Miller stopped short of announcing any immediate measures against Israel, which relies on American military and diplomatic support, but he repeated the United States’ call for a negotiated end to the Gaza war that began with a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Miller said the “tragic cost to civilians” in the latest strike “is another reminder of why we need to see an end to this war.”
“One year has passed since the Israeli government’s military campaign in Gaza, and Israel has destroyed Hamas’ military capabilities, destroyed Hamas’ leadership, and ensured through its military action that Hamas does not have the capacity to repeat the October 7 attacks,” Miller said.
The US State Department also reiterated its concern about the Israeli parliament’s passage on Monday of a law banning the United Nations agency responsible for helping Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, a move that defied appeals from Western countries.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a letter earlier this month warned Israel that the United States could withhold military aid without improving humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Miller said that Blinken “made clear that we oppose the passage of this legislation, and made clear that there may be legal and political implications for implementing this legislation.”
In response to a question about Norway’s request to the International Court of Justice to clarify Israel’s aid obligations, Miller said of Israel: “They certainly have a legal obligation to allow humanitarian aid in and not to set up roadblocks to humanitarian aid to people in Gaza.”
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