The US National Security Council (NSC) on Saturday responded to Israel's strike on terrorists working out of a civilian compound in Gaza.
At least 19 terrorists were killed in the strike, and care was taken to ensure that as few civilians as possible were affected. However, Gaza reports claim that over 100 people, including many civilians, were killed in the strike.
In a Saturday statement, NSC Spokesperson Sean Savett said, "We are deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties in Gaza following a strike by the Israel Defense Forces on a compound that included a school. We are in touch with our Israeli counterparts, who have said they targeted senior Hamas officials, and we are asking for further details."
The statement acknowledged, "We know Hamas has been using schools as locations to gather and operate out of," but accused, "we have also said repeatedly and consistently that Israel must take measures to minimize civilian harm."
"We mourn every Palestinian civilian lost in this conflict, including children, and far too many civilians continue to be killed and wounded," it added. "This underscores the urgency of a ceasefire and hostage deal, which we continue to work tirelessly to achieve."
The IDF is continuing to investigate the reports of a higher number of casualties, to verify if there is truth to them.
However, the IDF noted that "Hamas has been caught a number of times lying regarding everything connected to IDF strikes and its own strikes."
"Every IDF strike carried out against terrorists is exaggerated by Hamas with no regard for reality. Hamas continues to lie to the world."