White House: Israel is making efforts to protect civilians in Gaza

A senior White House official stated that he believes Israel is 'trying' to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza. John Kirby, the National Security Council's Strategic Communications Coordinator, referred to a map released by the Israeli army showing locations where Gazan Palestinians can be safe, saying, 'We believe that Israel has been receptive to our messages to minimize civilian casualties.' He added, 'There are not many modern armies that have such capability... so they are trying.' He also emphasized that the U.S. was unaware of Hamas's covert and advanced plans for the 'savage attack' on October 7 that led to the war. Hamas killed at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attacks on Israel and took around 240 hostages, including children, women, and the elderly, many of whom are still missing. The international community, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Israel, has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. Israel had warned residents of the region to move to safe areas after Hamas violated the ceasefire agreement and began air and artillery attacks on Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Leaflets dropped from Israeli planes in the eastern areas of the main southern city of Khan Younis instructed residents of four cities to evacuate, but not to other areas of Khan Younis as before, but southward to the crowded city of Rafah at the Egyptian border. The leaflets, written in Arabic, stated: 'You must evacuate immediately and go to the shelters in the Rafah area. Khan Younis is a dangerous war zone. You have been warned.' Israel also released a link to a map showing that Gaza has been divided into hundreds of areas, stating that it will use this in the future to inform about safe areas. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his third visit to Israel, stated: 'We have made it clear that there needs to be a clear plan in place before any operations are conducted in southern Gaza that prioritizes the protection of civilians and the continuity of humanitarian aid to Gaza.' He emphasized that 'the Israeli government agrees with this approach.'