An Israeli helicopter carrying three rescued hostages took off from the Gaza Strip over the weekend, marking a significant moment in the ongoing conflict. However, Vice President Kamala Harris, in a speech delivered to the Michigan Democratic Party on Saturday, focused more on the Palestinian casualties during the operation than on the successful rescue of the hostages.
The Israeli operation successfully retrieved four hostages who had been abducted by Hamas on October 7. While Harris acknowledged the brutal massacre committed by Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 innocent people and the abduction of 250 hostages, she spent a considerable portion of her address lamenting the loss of Palestinian lives. Many of those killed in the operation were described by Israel as terrorists.
“Before I begin, I just want to say a few words about the morning which I know weighs heavily on all of our hearts,” Harris began. She then noted the tragedy of the October 7 massacre and the abduction of hostages, adding, “Thankfully, four of those hostages were reunited with their families tonight. And we mourn all of the innocent lives that have been lost in Gaza, including those tragically killed today.”
Harris went on to emphasize the administration’s ongoing efforts to end the conflict, stating, “We have been working every day to bring an end to this conflict in a way that ensures Israel is secure, brings home all hostages, ends ongoing suffering for Palestinian people, and ensures that Palestinians can enjoy their right to self-determination, dignity, and freedom. As President Biden said last week, it is time for this war to end.”
Hamas-run authorities in Gaza claimed that over 270 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli operation, though they did not distinguish between militants and innocents. Israeli forces, however, reported a much lower figure, stating that fewer than 100 were killed. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed on Sunday that some innocent people were indeed killed in the operation, though the exact number remains unknown.
“We the United States are not in a position today to make a definitive statement about the death toll,” Sullivan said in an interview with CNN. “But we do know this: innocent people were tragically killed in this operation. The exact number we don’t know, but innocent people were killed.”
Israeli forces pointed out that Hamas had intentionally kept the hostages in a civilian environment, complicating the rescue mission. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari of the IDF stated that Hamas was holding hostages inside civilian buildings, including the locations where the rescued hostages Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Shlomi Ziv, 41, and Andrey Kozlov, 27, were found.
Despite the successful rescue, the focus of Harris’s speech on Palestinian casualties rather than the heroism of the rescue mission has sparked criticism, highlighting the complex and often contentious nature of the ongoing conflict.
