(MENAFN) The United States has stated that it has not found any evidence indicating that Israel deliberately committed war crimes in Gaza, according to John Kirby, the spokesperson for the United States National Security Council. In response to calls from Mexico and Chile urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate alleged crimes against humanity in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Kirby mentioned that the United States is still gathering information about the implications of such an investigation.
Kirby emphasized, "We don't have any indications that there's deliberate efforts to commit war crimes by the [Israeli military]." The statement comes amid ongoing debates about Israel's military actions in Gaza, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have reportedly killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians since declaring war on Hamas on October 7, with an additional 60,000 reported as seriously injured.
While the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, maintains that it does not intentionally inflict civilian casualties, some military and intelligence sources have acknowledged deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure for psychological impact, as revealed in interviews with Israeli outlet Local Call/+972 Magazine.
Kirby made these remarks shortly after expressing the White House's "serious concern" about reports suggesting that the IDF deliberately killed a Palestinian-American teenager in the occupied West Bank town of al-Mazra’a al-Sharqiyah. The situation continues to unfold, raising questions about accountability, the role of the ICC, and the broader implications for international efforts to address conflict-related atrocities.
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