Kirby said Hamas issued a statement on Sunday celebrating the deaths of two fighters in the attack, a sign that Israel was trying to strike Hamas in a “targeted, precise manner.”
“The Israelis have said they used 37-pound bombs, precision-guided munitions,” Kirby said. “If that's indeed what they used, it's certainly indicative of an effort to be discreet and targeted and precise. Now, obviously that has had tragic consequences, and obviously that needs to be investigated.”
Asked if Israel's attacks could put Biden in a difficult position, Kirby told reporters Tuesday that instead there is a real danger that Israel could become further isolated from the international community because of the way it conducts its campaign. “So that's clearly a concern, because it's not in Israel's best interest,” Kirby said. “And it's not in our best interest for Israel to become further isolated on the world stage.”
The US administration's response on Tuesday was criticized by human rights and Arab American groups.
“Sadly, with President Biden’s insistence on sending more bombs to further perpetuate Netanyahu’s war crimes at Rafah, this is now as much an American genocide as it is an Israeli genocide,” said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.