Original article (in Albanian) was published on 7/2/2024; Author: Pustina Patris
The White House Security Spokesperson John Kirby did not state that the number of civilians killed in Gaza is zero. Instead, Kirby stated that zero civilian deaths are the ideal outcome.
A video featuring White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby is circulating on social media, accompanied by claims that he stated, “the number of civilian casualties in Gaza is zero.”
The above clip appears to have been extracted from a press conference held on January 26th.
This clip appears to have been taken from a press conference held on January 26th. On the same day, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) mandated Israel to implement measures to prevent acts of genocide amidst the conflict in Gaza, following a petition by South Africa.
In the clip, Kirby is heard saying:
‘I want to be very clear – and I know I’ve said this a million times, and you’re probably tired of hearing it – but that doesn’t mean we justify the loss of even a single innocent life. The ideal number of civilian deaths is zero.’
This remark can also be found in the official White House briefing.
From the complete statement, it is evident that John Kirby did not claim there have been zero civilian casualties in Gaza. Instead, he emphasized that the ideal scenario would involve no civilian deaths in Gaza or anywhere else.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza reports that the death toll from Israeli strikes has surpassed 27,000.