On Sunday, the United States called on Israel to take all necessary measures to “distinguish” between its military operations and Palestinian civilians, as the Israeli army intensifies its airstrikes and ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
National Security Advisor to the US President, Jake Sullivan, told CNN that every hour and every day of this military operation, the Israeli government should take all possible measures available to it to distinguish between Hamas – the terrorists who constitute legitimate military targets – and civilians who are not.
He added that this is the advice the US offered them, clarifying that US President Joe Biden would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again on Sunday.
Biden and Netanyahu have been in near-daily talks since the war began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on October 7.
This attack resulted in the deaths of 1,400 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to authorities.
In response to the attack, the Israeli army relentlessly bombards the Gaza Strip, which has been under Hamas control since 2007, and besieges the small Palestinian territory with a population of approximately 2.4 million people.
The Ministry of Health in the Hamas government announced on Saturday night that more than eight thousand Palestinians, “half of them children,” have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
The White House National Security Advisor also emphasized that Israel should prioritize specific operations with clear objectives.
The US is the primary supporter of Israel and provides significant military assistance to the country.
