The Biden administration said Monday it doesn’t believe that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza.
“We do not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide. We have been firmly on record rejecting that proposition,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at a White House press briefing — although he added that the White House believes “Israel can and must do more to ensure the protection and well being of innocent civilians.”
His comments came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he agreed with a preliminary State Department report that declared it is “reasonable to assess” Israel has violated international humanitarian law during its war on Hamas terrorists in the Palestinian territory.
President Biden has been fiercely criticized by some in his party for supporting Israel’s mission to eliminate Hamas from the Gaza Strip since the terror group launched a deadly attack on the Jewish state on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,100 civilians.
Biden’s critics have called him “Genocide Joe” over the number of civilians killed during Israel’s retaliation in Gaza, with protests around the country, including by some groups that have interrupted the president’s events and taken over parts of some university campuses.
The White House has walked a line of supporting Israel but also issuing warnings over the country’s plans to invade Rafah — a densely populated city in the Gaza Strip — out of concern for more civilian deaths.
The Gaza Ministry of Health, which is controlled by Hamas, has claimed that more than 34,000 people have died in the war between Israel and Hamas, but the United Nations has not been able to independently confirm the number.
In the briefing, Sullivan also said the Biden administration paused the bomb shipment to Israel, reported last week, “because we do not believe they should be dropped in densely populated cities.”
He reiterated that a ground invasion of Rafah would be a “mistake” because it puts civilians at risk “without a clear strategic gain.”
“We are still working with Israel to ensure the defeat of Hamas everywhere in Gaza, including in Rafah,” Sullivan added.