US' Kirby 'offended' by Rafah 'charred bodies' question
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Again, the US insists "Israel" has not crossed the "red line" despite images of beheaded babies and people burned to death alive coming out of Rafah.
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National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP)
US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby relayed to reporters that the US was not turning a "blind eye" to the murder of Palestinian civilians, a mere day after two US officials told Axios that the Biden administration is still assessing whether the blatant murdering of displaced people in makeshift camps is a violation of Biden's "red line".
Kirby stated, "The Israelis have said this is a tragic mistake," referring to the Rafah massacre, which killed over 45 people and injured hundreds after "Israel" bombed tents in the area it called "safe".
Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking at a ceremonial event in Washington, called the Israeli airstrike on Sunday "beyond tragic" after it caused a fire in a tent camp in Rafah, killing tens of Palestinians, many of whom were burnt to death.
When questioned about whether recent ground operations in Rafah would lead to the US withdrawing military aid, Kirby affirmed, "I believe that's what I've been saying here," without elaborating as to how.
CBS News' @edokeefe asks at White House press briefing about Israel's deadly explosion in Rafah: “The whole area is densely populated. How does this not violate the red line that the president laid out?”
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 28, 2024
John Kirby, WH National Security Council spokesperson: “As I said, we don’t… pic.twitter.com/prshMWC7yW
A reporter asked Kirby, "How many more charred corpses does he [Biden] have to see before the President considers a change in policy?"
Kirby then responded by saying, "We don't want to see a single more innocent life taken, and I kind of take a little offense to the question. No civilian casualties is the right number of civilian casualties, and this is not something we've turned a blind eye to, nor has it been something we've ignored or neglected to raise with our Israeli counterparts."
Taking offense to a question about the administration ignoring the charred bodies of women and children committed in a massacre by "Israel" using American weapons just goes to show how much the US has lost sight of what a human life is...
He continued, “We’ve also said we don’t want to see a major ground operation in Rafah that would really make it hard for the Israelis to go after Hamas without causing extensive damage and potentially a large number of deaths. We have not seen that yet."
When he was additionally asked regarding Israeli tanks in Rafah, he claimed, “We have not seen them go in with large units, large numbers of troops, in columns and formations in some sort of coordinated manoeuvre against multiple targets on the ground.”
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Kirby did, however, note to reporters the reality of the fact that "Israel" could become further isolated from the international community if it continues the way it is now.
“So this is of concern, clearly, because it’s not in Israel’s best interest,” he said. “And it’s not in our best interest for Israel to become increasingly isolated on the world stage.”
Still, the Pentagon insisted earlier today that "Israel’s" attacks on Rafah are "limited in scope" with official Sabrina Singh claiming they were waiting for the Israeli forces to conclude the investigation into the massacre.
It is important to note that the Biden administration conducts its own investigations of such incidents, hundreds of which have occurred in the Gaza Strip over the past eight months, yet it has failed to condemn any of them as war crimes or genocidal actions as the intent has not manifested just yet, according to the American officials.
For some, the Israeli attack on the campsite in Rafah did not only test Biden's "red line" but also came as a direct response to the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) order demanding "Israel" halt its military operation in Rafah.
Israeli occupation forces said that the incident is being investigated, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that firing multiple "a tragic mistake."
This comes as the number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7 has risen to 36,096, in addition to 81,136 injuries, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported Tuesday.
