Washington:
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that Israel has killed more than 25,000 Palestinian women and children since an attack by the militant group Hamas on October 7.
When Austin was asked at a House Armed Services Committee hearing about the number of women and children killed, he told lawmakers: “Over 25,000.”
The United States has supported Israel since an unprecedented attack by Hamas in October that killed some 1,160 people.
Israel has responded with a relentless attack on Gaza, which the coastal region’s health ministry said has killed more than 30,000 people.
The figures provided by Austin were in the same range and came as Washington pushed for a ceasefire and reduction of civilian casualties in Gaza.
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