On CNN’s “Situation Room” broadcast Thursday, White House National Security and Public Affairs Advisor John Kirby said that although Israel’s actions cannot be equated with the start of the Oct. 7 attacks and Hamas, He said it was “hard to say” how close Israel was to becoming indistinguishable from Hamas. Hamas.
Host Wolf Blitzer said: “I think you heard Secretary Blinken earlier today warn that the way Israel is currently waging its war in Gaza, there is a real risk that it will become indistinguishable from Hamas. How close is Israel to that point?”
Kirby replied: “Well, it’s hard to say on such a scale. Hamas, we have to remember — a ceasefire was reached on October 6th. Hamas broke it. They chose to start a war. Mr. Sinwar and Hamas fighters chose to bury themselves under hospitals and civilian infrastructure and use the innocent people of Gaza as human shields. I don’t think you can equate what they did on October 7th with the type of operations that Israel is conducting. That being said, We’ve been clear about this, but it’s not just the IDF’s rights and responsibilities to go after Hamas, it’s the way they do it that matters, and that’s what they’ve done in recent weeks and since then. months [has] Our frustrations are growing in terms of civilian casualties, damage to civilian infrastructure, and the potential impact on humanitarian organizations who now fear moving into Gaza. ”
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