US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Congress on Thursday that more than 25,000 women and children had been killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip since October 7, but the Pentagon subsequently clarified the estimate, saying the data was provided by the Defense Department Enclave came from health, ruled by Hamas and not the US secret service.
During a congressional hearing, Austin was asked how many Palestinian women and children were killed by Israel, and Austin replied, “More than 25,000.”
A few hours later, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Austin was referring to calculations by the Gaza Strip Health Ministry and was referring to the total number of Palestinians killed, not just women and children. “We cannot independently verify this data on deaths in Gaza,” she said in a statement.
At the end of January, Palestinian authorities said the death toll from Israeli attacks had exceeded 25,000. That number is now over 30,000, according to the Gaza Strip Ministry of Health.
Health authorities in the Gaza Strip say more than 100 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces on Thursday while waiting for humanitarian aid to be delivered. However, Israel questioned the figures, claiming that many of the victims were run over by trucks carrying aid.
Austin also stated that around 21,000 precision munitions have been delivered to Israel since the start of the war in Gaza.
Portal This publication, including information and data, is the intellectual property of Portal. Their use or name is expressly prohibited without the prior permission of Portal. All rights reserved.