In a Congressional hearing on Nov. 8, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said the actual number of civilian Palestinians killed in Gaza could be higher than the 10,000 reported casualties.
During the hearing with the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Leaf said the Gaza Health Ministry does not differentiate between civilians and Hamas combatants in its reported death toll. Instead, "they mingle them." Even President Joe Biden and Israel's supporters in the hearing have cast doubt on whether the ministry could provide an accurate death toll from Gaza while under the control and coercion of Hamas.
As of Nov. 8, the Health Ministry in Gaza reported a death toll of 10,569, including 4,324 children, with 26,475 people wounded and at least 2,550 missing due to Israeli attacks. (Related: World War 3 could be imminent as Israel-Hamas war escalates, experts warn.)
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has called into question the accuracy of these figures, going so far as to accuse the Gaza Health Ministry of being "just a front for Hamas."
"In this period of conflict and conditions of war, it is very difficult for any of us to assess what the rate of casualties is. We think they're very high, frankly, and it could be that they're even higher than are being cited," Leaf said.
U.S. officials condemn actions of Hamas but support Israel
Leaf also defended the decision of the Biden Administration to refrain from pressuring Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire. Instead, the administration advocates for humanitarian pauses to facilitate the recovery of hostages, the exit of foreign nationals and the entry of humanitarian aid for civilians.
“To call a ceasefire right now that might or might not be honored by Hamas would be to leave Hamas in control of some 240 hostages, including babies and children, and would also leave fairly well intact much of the military infrastructure and warfighting capacity and terrorism capacity of Hamas intact,” Leaf said.
Dana Stroul, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, testified alongside Leaf, highlighting the boundaries of international humanitarian law.
“One can not deliberately target civilians or civilian objects, one cannot use civilians as human shields, attacks cannot be indiscriminate, one cannot rape, torture or mutilate, one cannot take hostages and attacks cannot cause excessive loss of civilian life or damage to civilian objects in relation to their military advantage are prohibited,” Stroul said.
Moreover, both officials accused Hamas of violating international humanitarian law and committing war crimes and genocide.
“Hamas – there is documented evidence, there are plenty of images out there, some of it Hamas has put out itself to praise its use of terror tunnels, its obfuscation of weapons and rockets inside civilian structures including hospitals, mosques and schools,” she added.
The Biden Administration severely condemned Hamas and its actions in the hearing and even asked Israel to avoid killing civilians. Leaf also reveals that Israel seeks to eliminate Hamas after causing a brutal massacre, killing around 1,400 people in a few days, and taking 240 hostages.
However, the New York Times reported earlier this month that Israeli officials "believed mass civilian casualties were an acceptable price in the military campaign."
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