US says it doesn't set 'red lines' for Israel as Gaza offensive intensifies

WASHINGTON

The White House said Friday that it does not dictate terms for Israel's military amid an escalating offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip that has already claimed thousands of Palestinian lives.

"We’re not drawing red lines for Israel. We continue to support their security needs. That will continue," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

"Since the very beginning, we have had and will continue to have conversations with them about the manner in which they're doing this. And we have not been shy about expressing our concerns over civilian casualties, collateral damage, and the approach that they might choose to take. That’s what friends can do," he added.

The comments come nearly three weeks after Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that killed over 1,400 Israelis, with over 200 more taken back to Gaza as captives.

Israel retaliated by imposing a "complete siege" on Gaza that has halted deliveries of electricity, food, water and medicine, as Israel carries out a relentless bombing campaign that has killed over 7,000 Palestinians, including more than 3,000 children, according to data from the enclave's Health Ministry.

The ministry sought to push back on Western criticism of its casualty figures by releasing a detailed list of all those killed in Gaza on Thursday, including their names, ages, and identification numbers.