US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that more than 25,000 women and children have been killed by Israel since Oct. 7, just as the Gaza Health Ministry reported that over 100 had been killed on Thursday.
Testifying on Thursday at the House Armed Services Committee, the US defense chief was asked how many Palestinian women and children had been killed by Israel. Austin replied, “It is over 25,000.”
Austin estimated that 21,000 precision-guided munitions had been provided to Israel since the start of its war in Gaza.
The news comes as the number of deaths in Gaza surpassed 30,000, according to local officials. On Thursday, more than 100 people were killed as Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians rushing to get food amid chaos.
The Israeli military said a “stampede” occurred when thousands of Gazans surrounded a convoy of 30 aid trucks, leading to dozens of deaths and injuries, including some who were run over by the lorries, Agence France-Presse reported.
An Israeli source acknowledged troops had opened fire on the crowd, believing it “posed a threat.”
The Gaza Health Ministry condemned what it called a “massacre” before dawn in Gaza City in which 104 people were killed and more than 750 others wounded.
