US Defense Secretary Austin says Israel must protect civilians to win in Gaza

(Patria) - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has called on Israel to protect civilians while fighting Hamas in Gaza, saying that protecting civilians is essential for victory in urban combat against the Palestinian militant group, AFP reported.

Fighting between Israel and Hamas resumed the previous day after a week-long truce collapsed, with both sides blaming each other for the breakdown of the agreement and the continuation of violence.

Austin told the Reagan National Defense Forum in California that he had "learned something about urban warfare" while fighting in Iraq and leading the campaign against the Islamic State group (ISIS).

"Like Hamas, ISIS was deeply embedded in urban areas. And the international coalition against ISIS worked hard to protect civilians and create humanitarian corridors, even during the toughest battles".

"The lesson is not that you can win urban warfare by protecting civilians. The lesson is that you can only win urban warfare by protecting civilians," he said.

"In this kind of fighting, the civilian population is the center of gravity. And if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat," he added.