US expects Israel to uphold humanitarian law: Pentagon

WASHINGTON

The US expects Israel to uphold humanitarian law, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday.

"I think it is important to remember that in all of our conversations with the Israelis, we are absolutely reiterating the need to uphold humanitarian laws and the law of armed conflict, said Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh at a news briefing.

Asked by Anadolu whether US officials hold talks with their Israeli counterparts regarding unconditional military aid to Israel to ensure that these weapons do not cause civilian casualties in Gaza, Singh said the US expects any partner or ally to whom it supplies weapons to comply with the laws of armed conflict that the US applies as well.

On the risk of further increasing civilian casualties if Israel expands its ground operation to the south of Gaza, Singh said that is not something that the US wants to see.

"We know that there are innocent civilians that have moved from the north into the south of Gaza seeking security, and so again, it's something that the Secretary (of Defense Lloyd Austin) continues to speak with (Israeli Defense) Minister (Yoav) Galant about, the need to protect innocent civilians," Singh said, adding she does not want to speculate on anything that could happen in the south.

While the US continues to have conversations with Israel on protecting and preserving innocent lives, "we can't forget that Hamas is putting innocent people at risk," she added.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has soared to 14,128, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said Tuesday.

“The victims include over 5,840 children and 3,920 women,” the ministry added in a statement.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.