US: Innocents Were Killed In Israeli Rescue Operation In Gaza

Sullivan: Innocent people were tragically killed in this operation. The exact number we don’t know, but innocent people were killed.

WASHINGTON - White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan said that "innocent people were killed" after claims by the Hamas-run Gazan health ministry said 274 Palestinians were killed during the rescue and another 700 were wounded.

Image credit: AFA (Q2915969) in contract with a local company (APAimages)‏‏

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Additionally, the Hamas military wing al-Qassam Brigades (intel on the military wing is attached to the end of this article) claimed that 3 hostages were killed during the operation, one of which it said was an American citizen. The claims by the al-Qassam Brigades have not been verified.

Gazan Death Toll Reported So Far And The Unreliable Nature Of Battlefield Casualty Counts

Although a total of 37,000 Palestinians are reported to have been killed during the Israeli military operations within the Gaza Strip, the numbers being reported by the United Nations, and the media are unverified numbers given by the Hamas-led Gazan Health Ministry which do not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths.

The numbers given by the Hamas-led Gazan Health Ministry have shifted dramatically since the conflict in Gaza began, especially concerning the estimated deaths of women and children, which at one point accounted for above 60% of the reported deaths, but in April shifted to 40% of the total deaths.

The change went unnoticed by the United Nations and the mainstream media for months, and the Gazan Health Ministry has made no effort to justify the shift.

Additionally, during wartime situations when civilian deaths, sadly, have propaganda value for each side, casualty numbers are often inflated or exaggerated. Furthermore, they can be difficult to track due to the tumultuous situation created by an ongoing regional conflict.

Sullivan: We Cannot Make A Definitive Statement On Claims Of Civilian Deaths, Intel On The al-Qassam Brigades