Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu replied to the concern over the rising civilian death toll in Gaza by claiming that Israel was not to fault for such carnage.
On CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, November 12, Netanyahu was asked to respond to criticism of the Israeli military’s cruel siege of Gaza in response to a deadly terrorist attack carried out by Hamas militants last month.
The prime minister responded by saying that “the blame should be squarely placed on Hamas” for the deaths in Gaza. He went on to assert that Israel’s change to a ground invasion of occupied Palestinian territory had “reduced” what would have been an even larger civilian death toll from a bombing campaign, which he said was the only option.
“People are heeding our calls to leave the area, and defying Hamas’s attempts to keep them there,” said Mr Netanyahu.
Bash then asked “The Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, said that far too many Palestinian civilians have been killed. What is your response to that?”
Netanyahu responded: “I think any civilian loss is a tragedy. And the blame should be placed squarely on Hamas.”
His words come as international condemnation of Israel’s military campaign intensifies. Though the Biden administration and the US remain vocal supporters of Israel, US officials have been more outspoken in recent days about their own concerns about the scope of Israel’s offensive. This week, the French government called for a total cease-fire.
BASH: "The Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, said that far too many Palestinian civilians have been killed. What is your response to that?"
NETANYAHU: "I think any civilian loss is a tragedy. And the blame should be placed squarely on Hamas." pic.twitter.com/BF2hE9a9fq
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) November 12, 2023