Austin follows Biden in citing Hamas health ministry death toll for Palestinian woman, kids: ‘Over 25,000’

By Social Links for Josh Christenson Published Feb. 29, 2024

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Hamas-dictated death tolls for women and children in Gaza, telling House lawmakers in a hearing that “over 25,000” of them have been killed since the Oct. 7 a declaration of war against the terror group by Israel.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) drew the answer out of the Pentagon chief during a House Armed Services Committee hearing as President Biden’s administration is trying to negotiate a “temporary cease-fire” in the five-month-old conflict.

Following Austin’s appearance, the Pentagon issued a clarification that the defense secretary was relying on the Gaza Ministry of Health when answering Khanna’s question.

“During the hearing today, Secretary Austin was asked how many women and children have died in Gaza,” a Pentagon spokesperson told The Post. “To clarify, the Secretary’s answer was citing an estimate from the Hamas-controlled health ministry that more than 25,000 total Palestinians have been killed in Gaza. We cannot independently verify these Gaza casualty figures.”

The civilian death toll is high in the densely populated area, but figures disclosed by the Hamas-controlled agency had been viewed as unreliable by US officials.

In late October, just weeks after the war started, Biden said: “I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using.”

That changed in February when Biden apparently accepted a number close to the Gaza health ministry’s count of roughly 28,000 deaths.

“Too many, too many of the over 27,000 Palestinians killed in this conflict have been innocent civilians and children, including thousands of children,” the president said on Feb. 12 following a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters after the about-face, “The president was referring to publicly available data about the total number of casualties.”

“And as he said, too many of that total number, unfortunately, are innocent civilians,” Kirby added.

A senior Israeli military official confirmed in December that roughly two civilians are killed for every one Hamas terrorist neutralized, but noted the Gaza death toll does not separate civilians from jihadists.

Several protesters from the activist group CODEPINK stood at the back of the hearing room during Austin’s testimony, holding up signs with bloody handprints.

“AUSTIN: GAZA BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS,” one read.

Last week, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield voted against a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, saying any pause in the fighting should be conditioned on the return of 134 hostages taken by Hamas during their brutal rampage across southern Israel.