US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that more than 25,000 women and children have been killed by Israel since Oct. 7, just as the Gaza Health Ministry reported that over 100 had been killed on Thursday.
Testifying on Thursday at the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) asked the US defense chief how many Palestinian women and children had been killed by Israel in the war. Austin replied, "It is over 25,000."
Later on Thursday, the Pentagon walked back Austin’s comment. A US defense official speaking not for attribution told Al-Monitor that the number Austin cited had come from the Gaza Health Ministry and accounted for the total number of deaths of Palestinians in the war, rather than just women and children.
The official further said estimates from the Gaza Health Ministry were being used by other US agencies as well.
Austin’s comment “was citing an estimate from the Hamas-controlled health ministry that more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Thursday.
Pentagon press secretary Patrick Ryder said the United States cannot verify the number.
“We can't independently verify these Gaza casualty figures," Ryder said.
He added that the United States relies “in large part on open-source information that’s out there.” “That being said, we are fairly confident that thousands of civilians have been killed, and one innocent civilian being killed is too many,” Ryder said.
.@SecDef said over 25,000 women and children had been killed in Palestine.
— Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) February 29, 2024
I pressed him on whether he would support halting weapons sales to Israel if Netanyahu defies the U.S. and invades Rafah or prevents aid from reaching civilians facing starvation in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Lv8S1DEeoW
The Biden administration has faced withering criticism for its “no conditions” policy to providing weapons amid Israel’s war in Gaza. Austin estimated that 21,000 precision-guided munitions have been provided by the United States to Israel since the start of its war.
The news comes as the number of deaths in Gaza surpassed 30,000, according to local officials. On Thursday, more than 100 people were killed as Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians rushing to get food amid chaos.
The Israeli military said a "stampede" occurred when thousands of Gazans surrounded a convoy of 30 aid trucks, leading to dozens of deaths and injuries, including some who were run over by the lorries, Agence France-Presse reported.
An Israeli source acknowledged troops had opened fire on the crowd, believing it "posed a threat."
The Gaza Health Ministry condemned what it called a "massacre" before dawn in Gaza City in which 104 people were killed and more than 750 others wounded.
The Biden administration has asked the Israeli government to conduct an immediate investigation into the incident, White House deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton said Thursday.
Calling the incident “tragic,” Ryder said it underscores “the requirement for Israel to take into account civilian harm mitigation and planning in executing its operations.”
Al-Monitor reported late last year that officials at US Central Command had grown increasingly concerned that the IDF was not following their operational advice with regard to minimizing civilian harm in Gaza.
Asked whether the Pentagon deems it appropriate for Israel to investigate its own forces’ conduct in the incident at Rafah today, Ryder said, “Israel is a sovereign country.”
“We conduct investigations in our military. And there’s methods and procedures to do that,” he said.
“One would expect that they would be very similar.”
Biden administration officials have previously said Israel must comply with its obligations to protect civilians in war under international law.
