WASHINGTON — Amid international condemnation after airstrikes in the Gaza Strip reportedly killed dozens of civilians, White House spokesman John Kirby defended Israel, saying the U.S. military “has done the same thing.”
“We have carried out airstrikes in places like Iraq and Afghanistan that have caused tragic civilian casualties,” he said, adding that the US has then responded in a similar manner to Israel.
“We acknowledged it, we investigated it, we learned from it and we sought to make changes,” Kirby said at a regular White House briefing on Tuesday.
U.S. bombings that killed civilians included “an airstrike that tragically killed a father and several children as we were withdrawing from Afghanistan,” he said.
“We have made amends, learned from it and put procedures in place to ensure it doesn’t happen again, and that’s our expectation in this case as well.”
Kirby, a former Pentagon and State Department spokesman, broadly defended Israel amid reports that Sunday’s airstrikes killed at least 44 displaced Palestinians.
He said Israel had used precision bombs, and noted that the Hamas terror group also acknowledged that two senior leaders were killed in the attack, suggesting they were hiding among civilians.
Kirby said preliminary findings from the Israeli military suggested an unintentional secondary explosion may have caused the civilian deaths.
“Hamas itself issued a statement celebrating the martyrdom of its two fighters… so I don’t see how anyone can argue that there was no attempt to precisely target Hamas in this regard,” he said.
“Israel claims to have used a 37-pound bomb, a precision-guided bomb. A 37-pound bomb is not a big bomb, but it is exactly that kind of bomb…
“If in fact they did use it, it certainly demonstrates an effort to be careful and targeted and accurate,” he said.
“Obviously this has had tragic consequences. We need to investigate. We need to know how something like this could have happened using a small-caliber precision-guided weapon. But we have to leave it to Israel to find out.”
Kirby also accused Israel’s critics of “forgetting” that Hamas started the war with a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7.
“Some may have forgotten what happened on October 7, but we have not forgotten – 1,200 innocent Israelis massacred, mutilated and tortured – living in close proximity to a threat that remains a threat in Rafah,” Kirby said.
The terrorists took hundreds of hostages, including five Americans who are believed to still be in custody.
“By the way, if you think Hamas is gone, they haven’t left Rafah or Gaza. And if you think they’ve given up their intentions for the state of Israel, think again. They haven’t,” he said.
“So Israel has a right not to want to live next to such a threat. And of course we’re going to continue to provide them with the capabilities to go after the threat.”
President Biden initially took a more pro-Israel stance, visiting the country to show his support for Israel days after the conflict began, but in recent months he has become increasingly critical of the Israeli military, including halting the dropping of some heavy bombs to thwart looming attacks on the last major Hamas-controlled stronghold.
