WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday said it was a moral obligation to protect Palestinian civilians in the war between Israel and Hamas.
During a meeting with Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon, as ties between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gone low, Austin said the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza was getting worse.
He added that the number of civilian casualties in Gaza is too high and the amount of humanitarian assistance is too low.
He added that Gaza is suffering from humanitarian catastrophe and the situation is getting worse day by day. Austin stressed for immediate increase in assistance to avert famine in the besieged enclave.
The Israeli defense minister also met with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who asked Gallant to increase the flow of humanitarian aid for Gaza.
Netanyahu’s ties with Biden became more strained over Washington’s decision not to veto a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The United States has also been asking Netanyahu to consider alternatives to a ground offensive of Rafah, where most of the displaced Palestinians are taking shelter.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, Israel’s relentless bombardment has killed at least 32,414 people in the area, most of them women and children.
