White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan acknowledged on Sunday that the rescue of four hostages by the IDF has been accompanied by civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and put the blame on Palestinian movement Hamas.
"Well, of course, the Israeli Defense Forces have put out one number, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has put out another number. We're looking into it ... But we do know this .... civilians were killed," Sullivan told ABC News when asked to verify information about over 200 civilians killed.
The official added that "the Palestinian people are going through hell in this war," as Hamas is hiding in civilian infrastructure, endangering people.
"Any time civilians are killed, we're concerned. Of course, we are. That's why we want this war to end. The only way to get all of the hostages out and to end any more civilian casualties in Gaza is to get to a comprehensive ceasefire and hostage agreement," Sullivan said.
The United States is helping Israel search for and free hostages in the Gaza Strip, but the US did not send its military to participate in Saturday's operation, Sullivan said in an interview for CNN.
"The United States has been providing support to Israel for several months in its efforts to help identify the locations of hostages in Gaza and to support efforts to try to secure their rescue or recovery," Sullivan said, declining to elaborate.
Later in the day, Palestinian movement Hamas' military wing, Al Qassam Brigades, said that three hostages were killed while trying to free the others.
"Your Israeli government killed a number of your captives in order to save other captives. In exchange for them, your own army killed 3 of your own captives in the same attack; one of them holds a US [citizenship]," the military wing said on Telegram.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted during the attack. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 37,000 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities.