The four hostages rescued by Israeli Military
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan praised the recent Israeli operation in Gaza that freed four Israeli captives amid intense fighting with Hamas.
Sullivan emphasized the U.S. administration’s ongoing collaboration with Israel to recover the remaining hostages and stressed the importance of minimizing civilian casualties in these operations.
“The United States will support Israel in taking steps to try to rescue hostages who are currently being held by Hamas, and we will continue to work with Israel to do that,” Sullivan stated on ABC News‘ “This Week.”
He highlighted the need for Israel’s military operations to take every precaution to minimize civilian harm.
The operation in central Gaza aimed to free hostages Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, the rescue mission resulted in the deaths of 274 people and injuries to 698 others.
The Israeli military, however, reported that no more than 100 civilians were killed during the operation.
Sullivan acknowledged the disparity in casualty figures and mentioned that the administration is investigating the matter. He also referred to a three-tiered ceasefire proposal, modified by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which Hamas has yet to accept.
Sullivan reiterated President Joe Biden’s criticism of the increasing civilian death toll in Gaza while maintaining support for hostage recovery efforts.
Since the conflict began, the death toll in Gaza has reached 37,084, with over 84,000 injuries reported by the Gaza Health Ministry.
In his comments, Sullivan stressed the need for more precise and targeted military operations by Israel.
“We see individual instances where we would like to see them operate differently, where we would like them to be more precise, more targeted in their operations,” he said.
Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Peter Lerner blamed Hamas for the high civilian casualties, accusing the group of using civilians as human shields.
“Every civilian life lost in this war is a result of how Hamas has operated,” Lerner told Raddatz.
He explained that hostages were held within civilian homes, often with the families present, highlighting the challenges faced by the Israeli military in conducting rescue operations.
Lerner mentioned that the Israeli military could undertake similar operations to recover hostages but also indicated that Israel remains open to negotiations.
“The 120 hostages remain in the clutches of Hamas. There can be a rescue mission like what happened yesterday,” he stated.
“But there could also have been negotiations that create the opportunity. Our role is to create the conditions either way, that Hamas realizes that they should give back the hostages, they should set the hostages free.”
The situation remains critical as efforts continue to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The international community is closely monitoring the developments, with the U.S. supporting Israeli operations but emphasizing the need for careful and precise operations to minimize further civilian casualties while striving to bring the hostages home safely.
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