White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Monday that the U.S. is asking Israel \u2018tough questions that any military ought to be asking\u2019 ahead of a possible ground incursion into the Gaza Strip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kirby also said the Israel Defense Forces \u2018need to decide for themselves how they\u2019re going to conduct operations\u2019 in the coming days of the war, which began on Oct. 7 and has left a reported total of more than 5,000 people dead so far on both sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I can tell you we have, since the beginning of the conflict in the early hours, maintained a level of communication with our Israeli counterparts to ascertain their intentions, their strategy, their aims to see what their answers are to the kinds of tough questions that any military ought to be asking before you launch any kind of a major operation,\u2019 Kirby told reporters gathered at the White House. \u2018Have you thought through the branches, have you thought through the sequence? Have you thought through the unintended consequences? And so we are in active conversation with them about that.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
When asked if the U.S. believes Israel should launch a ground incursion into the Gaza Strip whenever its military is ready, Kirby said that is up to Israel to decide.\u00a0<\/p>\n
LIVE UPDATES: ISRAEL AT WAR WITH HAMAS<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019re not in the business of dictating terms to them, and we\u2019re certainly not going to be in the business here from the White House of previewing any future operations one way or the other,\u2019 he said. \u2018That would be inappropriate.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n Kirby said President Biden has been in contact with Judith and Natalie Raanan, the two American nationals who were freed Friday after being taken captive by Hamas. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n IRAN-BACKED MILITIAS IN IRAQ CLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR ATTACK ON US MILITARY BASE IN SYRIA<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018The president had a chance to speak with them and with their families as he told other families \u2013 they met in Tel Aviv, family members of others who have been taken hostage \u2013 we have no higher priority than the safety of Americans that are being held around the world,\u2019 Kirby said. \u00a0<\/p>\n Kirby also told Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich that \u2018we are going to need congressional support to continue to support Israel and that \u2018we\u2019ve got enough appropriations available to us for a while longer.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n When asked by her about concerns of humanitarian aid ending up in the hands of Hamas, Kirby said the White House has seen \u2018no indications\u2019 that any of the trucks of aid that have so far crossed into the Gaza Strip \u2018have been diverted to Hamas or been absconded by Hamas.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n