Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was pressed by Democratic lawmakers on Thursday regarding the U.S. military’s support for Israel.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), a progressive Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, pressed Austin about whether he would commit to ending U.S. military aid to Israel if it carried out operations in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than a million Palestinians have fled to, without accounting for their safety.
“Obviously, sir, that’s a presidential decision,” Austin explained. “We expect, and by the way, I spoke to [Israeli Defense Minister Yoav] Gallant last night, and I expect that when we provide munitions to allies and partners that they’ll use them in a responsible way.”
Khanna pressed Austin on the subject, who reiterated the decision would not be his to make. Multiple Democrats have pressed the Biden administration on their choice to continue providing military aid to Israel in spite of the continually growing death toll, which the United States has repeatedly said was too high.
The secretary, during his Wednesday call with Gallant, “asked for Minister Gallant’s assessment of negotiations for the release of hostages held by Hamas,” according to a readout of the call from Department of Defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder. “They also discussed the urgent need for more humanitarian assistance to reach Palestinian civilians and the need to facilitate new routes for aid into northern Gaza.”
Austin indicated that 25,000 Palestinian women and children have been killed during Israel’s military operation, though a Pentagon spokesman later clarified that he was referencing the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry’s estimates of total deaths. Their tally does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths.
“We’re dependent on open-source information, like many of you,” Ryder said during Thursday’s briefing. “We’re certain that thousands of people have been killed, but as for the specific numbers, we cannot verify those specific statistics.”
The Hamas-controlled ministry said the death toll since Oct. 7 has eclipsed 30,000 people, while
the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said Israel had killed around 13,000 Hamas-led fighters in Gaza since the start of the war. So, if Israel’s tally is correct, it still means roughly 17,000 civilians have been killed during the conflict.
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The U.S., Egypt, and Qatar are attempting to broker a new ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, though both sides remain entrenched. President Joe Biden said he was hopeful a deal could be in place within a week, though other parties have expressed doubt in response to his optimism.
Austin appeared in front of the Armed Services Committee to testify about his secretive hospitalization in January and the subsequent lack of an immediate notification or disclosure to the White House, Congress, and the public.
