Israel has ordered the evacuation of more areas of Khan Younis, the second largest city in the Gaza Strip, following calls for restraint by the United States to create safe areas for civilians fleeing armed conflict.
Demands that, however, have been partially accepted given that the Israeli army continues to carry out intense bombing as its offensive moves towards the southern half of the territory where, it claims, many Hamas leaders are hiding.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated this Saturday that the protection of civilians must be a "moral responsibility" for Israel. Austin delivered perhaps his strongest comments yet on Israel's need to protect civilians in Gaza, calling it a "moral responsibility and strategic imperative."
He even stated that "if you push them into the arms of the enemy" it will replace "a tactical victory with a strategic defeat." In any case, Austin reiterated US support for Israel, stating that it is his "closest friend" on the planet.
Vice President Kamala Harris also pointed to the high number of minor victims. "Frankly, the magnitude of civilian suffering and the images and videos coming out of Gaza are devastating," Harris said at a press conference in Dubai on the occasion of her participation in the COP28 Climate Summit.
"Israel has the right to defend itself. But we must also keep in mind that too many Palestinian civilians, innocent people, have lost their lives, and it is imperative that Israel do more to protect innocent civilians," he said.
The United States was not aware of the Islamist group Hamas' plan to carry out an attack on Israel. This was confirmed by the spokesman for the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, after The New York Times revealed that the Israeli authorities had access to a 40-page document that detailed a plan like the one the terrorist group took place last October 7.
