US Secretary of Defense: It is a moral imperative to protect civilians in Gaza

(Patria) - US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin believes that it is a moral and strategic imperative to protect the lives of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, and that the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding there is getting worse.

Austin spoke at the beginning of a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon, at a time of the coldest relations between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

- Today, the number of civilian casualties in Gaza is too high, and the amount of humanitarian aid is too low. Gaza is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe, and the situation is even worsening - said Austin, sitting across from Gallant.

More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave so far, according to local authorities. Extreme food shortages have put 2.4 million people at risk of starvation.

- We need an immediate increase in aid to avoid starvation - Austin said.

The conversation between Austin and Gallant took place after Netanyahu canceled a visit to Washington by his aides on Monday, who were supposed to discuss alternatives to their military operations with their American counterparts.

Israel is furious because the US, which has veto power in the Security Council, abstained from voting on a resolution calling for an "immediate" cessation of hostilities in Gaza.