3:17 pm ET, November 16, 2023
The official says the US has not determined whether Israel has violated international humanitarian law
From CNN’s Jennifer Hansler
State Department spokesman Matt Miller said Thursday that the United States has made no assessment that Israel has “violated international humanitarian law.”
“We will continue to monitor the facts as they develop,” Miller told a news conference.
Israeli forces are carrying out attacks in the Gaza Strip More than 11,000 people died, According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Forces are active in and around al-Shifa hospital, claiming a Hamas command and control center in tunnels under the compound.
Under the Geneva ConventionMedical facilities may not be attacked, but they can lose that protection if “they are used to doing harm to the enemy, outside of their humanitarian obligations.”
On Tuesday, Miller said the U.S. government had not made a formal assessment of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law, but “was not going to speak to internal discussions within the department.”
Miller added that the U.S. has pressed all parties to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law, “to take all possible precautions to minimize the risk of harm to civilians, and we urge all possible measures to minimize civilian harm.”
As he said, the US has not formally assessed that Israel has violated the law, Miller said He reiterated the comments of Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken “In his (Blinken’s) judgment, many Palestinian civilians have been killed as a result of this conflict.”
“Many children have been killed as a result of this conflict,” Miller said.
