The U.S. State Department refused to condemn the shooting of a civilian who was holding a white flag in Gaza, much like they refused to condemn the Israeli killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was targeted and killed by the IDF in 2022. The photo above was taken moments before the man holding the white flag was shot dead by Israeli snipers. You can watch the video here.
When asked if the U.S. would support an investigation into these deaths, the State Department again demurred. Similarly, the U.S. did not demand an investigation into the of Abu Akleh until it was pressured to do so. The U.K. government said Israel itself should carry out an investigation.
Clearly no investigation on this will happen during the war in Gaza. There were reports of a possible ceasefire negotiation but Israel says that is not in the cards. According to Antiwar.com:
“‘Reports of an agreement in principle to a ceasefire are not correct. There are very large gaps, and there is no advancement in talks,’ an Israeli official told Ynet on Wednesday. According to The Times of Israel, several other Israeli news outlets quoted Israeli officials who called the reports of breakthroughs in talks ‘fake.’”
The United Nations has condemned attacks on hospitals in Gaza earlier this week. The International Court of Justice will issue a decision on Friday in South Africa’s case against Israel over alleged genocide in Gaza. It could order Israel to announce a ceasefire but it does not mean Israel would comply.
