3:17 p.m. ET, November 16, 2023
The US has not determined whether Israel violated international humanitarian law, an official says
By CNN’s Jennifer Hansler
The United States has not made an assessment on whether Israel “violated international humanitarian law,” State Department spokesman Matt Miller said Thursday.
“We are constantly monitoring the evolving facts,” Miller said at a briefing.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli forces conducted operations in the Gaza Strip that left more than 11,000 people dead.
The forces were active in and around Al-Shifa Hospital after claiming there was a Hamas command and control center in the tunnels beneath the complex.
According to the Geneva ConventionMedical facilities may not be attacked, but they may lose this protection if “they are used to commit acts harmful to the enemy outside of their humanitarian duties.”
Miller said Tuesday that the U.S. government has not made a formal assessment of whether Israel is complying with international humanitarian law, but said he “will not speak to internal deliberations within the department.”
Miller also said the U.S. has urged all parties to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law to “take feasible precautions to reduce the risk of harm to civilians, and we urge all possible steps to mitigate harm to civilians.” .”
Although he said the U.S. had not officially designated Israel in violation of the law, Miller echoed Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s comments “that in his (Blinken’s) assessment, far too many Palestinian civilians have been killed as a result of this conflict.”
“Far too many children have been killed as a result of this conflict,” Miller said.
In the meantimeThe head of the UN humanitarian agency said “the bloodshed in Gaza is reaching new levels of horror every day” and called for a ceasefire.