On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Katy Tur Reports,” White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said that the suffering that the population of Gaza is experiencing is the fault of Hamas and their choice “to break a ceasefire and attack Israel.” And stated that Israel’s decision to open up the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza for the delivery of items including fuel was done at the “urging” of the United States, “and the United States is leading that effort.”
Kirby stated, “[T]hese images are difficult, difficult to take in, to look at, to try to fathom the level of suffering that the people of Gaza are experiencing right now, suffering that was caused by Hamas’ decision to break a ceasefire and attack Israel. And what I would tell those Americans is that, first of all, we’re doing everything we can to alleviate that suffering by increasing in the flow of humanitarian assistance. At our urging now, the Israelis will open up the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. So, a second now crossing will be opened up for delivery of trucks, food, water, medicine, and fuel, importantly, and the United States is leading that effort.”
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