Against the backdrop of continued US pressure to reduce civilian casualties while targeting Hamas terrorists in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces have released a compilation of aborted strikes that were canceled precisely because of the unexpected presence of civilians near the targets.
“Hamas sees civilian death as a strategy, we see it as a tragedy — which is why we use many measures to try and minimize the civilian harm and suffering — that is the tragic reality — in this war that Hamas started,” IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement on Monday.
“We warn civilians before attacks, whenever possible. We also recommend civilians to temporarily move away from areas of intense fighting.
We abort attacks when we see unexpected civilian presence. We choose the right munition for each target so it doesn’t cause unnecessary damage.
“Our intent is to defeat Hamas and secure the release of our hostages. The tragic suffering of civilians in Gaza is not our intent,” Hagari emphasized.
“We know this is hard, but we are trying to save lives.
“We have also offered international organizations to set up humanitarian zones. We use tactical pauses to allow for the evacuation of civilians — and the distribution of humanitarian aid,” Hagari noted.
Israel is not restricting the amount of humanitarian aid that can enter Gaza: it is the difficulty faced by the aid organizations that is slowing down the process, Israeli officials have emphasized.
“We know civilians in Gaza are suffering. This is because of Hamas’s strategy and tactics and because Hamas steals the international aid meant for them.”
