Israel-Hamas war live: US set to deploy ‘additional assets’ to Middle East
- US President Joe Biden says he is prepared to bolster military forces in the Middle East as the Israel-Palestine conflict continues to spiral out of control.
- Israeli air raids pound Gaza Strip four days after Hamas sent rockets and fighters into Israel in an unprecedented attack.
- Palestinian health ministry and the WHO call for humanitarian corridor “to ensure the entry of urgent medical aid” into Gaza’s overwhelmed hospitals.
- The latest death toll stands at 830 Palestinians in Gaza and more than 900 people in Israel.
- Hamas’s surprise attack on Saturday came after Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in recent days and a record number of Palestinians were killed by Israel in recent months.
Kirby asked where Gazans can go amid Israeli strikes
Al Jazeera presenter Emily Angwin has asked Kirby where Gazans are meant to go amid the Israeli strikes.
That comes after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu advised civilians to move away from Hamas target, vowing to turn their hideouts to rubble.
Palestinians living in Gaza, the most densely populated region on Earth, do not enjoy freedom of movement. Meanwhile, rights group say two Israeli strikes hit the Rafah border on Tuesday – the only land crossing out of Gaza not controlled by Israel.
“We we are working and communicating with our allies and partners in the region about routes, but again, I can’t speak for Israeli operations, or what the Israelis will be doing around that border,” Kirby said.
Kirby defends Biden claim that US, Israel ‘uphold the laws of war’
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Kirby defended the distinction Biden made between killings perpetrated by Hamas fighters and the ongoing bombardment of Gaza by Israel, which observers say has so far killed 260. The US president said Washington and Israel “uphold the laws of war”.
“Nobody wants to see any more innocent life taken or hurt as a result of the events over the past weekend and I think it’s important to remember that Hamas deliberately struck out at innocent civilians, slaughtering them and I mean up close and visceral with knives, torture, rape, gunshots – that’s pretty visible,” Kirby said.
“And that’s why it was important, I think, for the president to talk about setting up the difference, making clear the difference between Hamas – whose actual goal is to take human life, to take innocent human life – and the Israelis who are doing everything they can to preserve their way of life and to defend themselves,” he said.
US National Security Adviser John Kirby speaks with Al Jazeera
Kirby spoke live on Al Jazeera shortly after Biden’s national address condemning Hamas and pledging unequivocal support for Israel. Critics have accused the rhetoric from Washington of giving a “green light” to Israel in its bombardment and siege of Gaza.
“We take seriously all our obligations to humanitarian systems around the world and respect for life, and obviously nothing’s going to change about that when it comes to the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” Kirby said.
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