United States refuses to call for a ceasefire

The United States, stressing the right of Israel to defend itself, has so far refused to call for a ceasefire or place limitations on weapons it has shipped to the country should civilians continue to bear the brunt of the Israeli strikes.

A series of Israeli airstrikes hit the densely packed Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza Tuesday in what Israel said was an attempt to take out a senior Hamas commander in the area.

At least six Israeli airstrikes hit residential dwellings in the heart of the refugee camp on the outskirts of Gaza City, The Associated Press reported, citing the Hamas-run Interior Ministry.

Gaza officials told Reuters that 50 Palestinians were killed and 150 more wounded, with footage from the scene showing people searching through gutted concrete apartment blocks for loved ones.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday claimed the airstrikes killed Ibrahim Biari, the commander for Hamas’s Central Jabaliya Battalion, along with neutralizing an estimated 50 other terrorists, a claim that Hamas has pushed back on.

Asked about the Israeli attack on the Jabalya camp late Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said he could not speak to individual Israeli strikes, but that the US believes taking civilian safety into account is both a moral and a strategic obligation.

Defense officials do care about civilian casualties, and we’ve made it both clear publicly and privately about our concern for the protection of innocent life and the respect for the law of war, he told reporters.

Ryder also said that the Israeli military is not deliberately targeting civilians, unlike Hamas, which is creating this extra challenge for Israel as they conduct their operations.

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday pressed IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht on why Israel’s military moved forward with the attacks knowing there were refugees and innocent civilians in the area.

“This is the tragedy of war, Wolf,” Hecht responded. “I mean, we as you know, we’ve been saying for days — move south. The civilians, who are not involved, please move south.”

Israeli forces stepped up their military incursion into northern Gaza over the weekend, attacking Hamas militants and infrastructure north of Gaza City. IDF claimed it also has intensified air and naval strikes as part of its ramped up counteroffensive.

At least 8,525 Palestinians have died in the violence in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. More than 21,500 civilians have been wounded since October 07, the ministry reported, pushing hospitals to the brink of collapse.