WASHINGTON, D.C.
Horrifying and heartbreaking is how the U.S. State Department described the deaths of four youths killed on a Gaza beach, and the high civilian death toll in the ongoing conflict.
Four young boys were killed on a beach in Gaza City on Wednesday as an Israeli warship shelled the shore.
“The reports were horrifying. The photos were horrifying. The video was horrifying,” Jen Psaki, the State Department spokesperson told reporters Thursday.
“We have been heartbroken by the high civilian death toll in Gaza, including the death of four innocent Palestinian children as they were playing on a beach in Gaza just yesterday,” she said.
Psaki added that the U.S. will continue to urge Israeli officials to take every step possible to meet standards for protecting civilians. She said that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has made the point directly as well.
At least 240 Gazans, mostly civilians, have been killed and more than 1770 injured since Israel began “Operation Protective Edge” 11 days ago.
The Israeli Defense Forces began the military operation July 7 with the stated aim of blocking rocket fire from the coastal Palestinian enclave.
www.aa.com.tr/en
