Israel Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus defended the ongoing strikes inside the Gaza Strip in an interview Friday, claiming many of the people killed have been “terrorists” and saying the violence has not been disproportionate to the attacks from the other side.
The PBS NewsHour’s Amna Nawaz spoke with Conricus about the Israeli military’s strikes, which have killed 122 Palestinians, including 31 children and 20 women, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
As part of a cycle of escalation that began earlier this week, Hamas began firing rockets into Israel, which Conricus said has killed eight people so far. He defended Israel’s response, despite accusations from Palestinians, peace activists and many American Democratic politicians that Israel’s military response has been disproportionate to that of Gaza.
The UN Population Fund said in a statement that it was “alarmed by the number of civilian casualties, including children and women caused by the current escalation.”
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