US providing security systems to take out Hamas, not kill civilians: Pentagon

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US Department of Defense said Tuesday that it is providing security systems to Israel to eliminate the Palestinian group Hamas and that does not mean killing innocent civilians in Palestine.

"We are certainly giving Israel the security systems it needs to take out and effectively push back on Hamas in Gaza...That doesn't mean the killing of innocent civilians," said Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh at a press briefing.

Her remarks came in response to a question about reports of an Israeli attack on the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in Gaza.

"I'm aware of the reports, but I don't have anything to offer further at this time," she said about the reported attack, which left hundreds of people dead.

Praising the Israeli army as "very capable and professional," Singh said: "We believe that the security assistance that they are using in Gaza is going to be used properly and it's going to be used to target Hamas, but also allowing" for civilian humanitarian assistance purposes.

Singh noted that US officials continue their contacts with the Israelis to ensure that civilians in Gaza have what they need and can be evacuated to safe areas.

More than 500 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Al-Ahli Hospital late Tuesday, Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told Anadolu.

It comes on day 11 of the conflict, with a growing international chorus of non-governmental groups and world leaders saying the Israeli bombing campaign on the besieged Gaza Strip -- including healthcare facilities, homes, and houses of worship -- violates international law and may constitute a war crime.

Hamas called the targeting of the hospital an act of "genocide."