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National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby was asked by ABC News whether there are competing goals between Israel and America, with Israel repeatedly saying its top priority is destroying Hamas and the U.S. saying its highest priority is the hostages.
Israeli supports show placards with the faces and names of people believed to be taken hostage and held in Gaza, during a protest in Trafalgar Square, London, Oct. 22, 2023.
At first, Kirby said America’s top priority “is to make sure Israel has the tools and the capacity and the capabilities to go after Hamas terrorists, and to make sure humanitarian assistance flows in, and to make sure we can get innocent civilians who want to leave Gaza out.”
When pressed on the discrepancy with Israel’s stated top goal, Kirby said, “We agree the top priority has got to be going after Hamas.”
Locals walk past as Palestinian emergency services and local citizens search for victims in buildings destroyed during Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 22, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza.
Kirby repeatedly declined to say if there’s an effort from the U.S. and other countries to urge Israel to delay the ground invasion. Kirby said he would not speak for the Israeli Defense Forces or other countries, but that the U.S. has been communicating with Israel from the start about their intentions and goals.
-ABC News’ Selina Wang
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