Washington. 15 October 2023 (dpa/MIA) – The US administration has made clear that the civilian population needs to be protected in any Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, in remarks made by President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

"We stand for the law of war, we stand for the protection of civilians, and we want to make sure that innocent Palestinians who have nothing to do with Hamas can get to safe areas where they will be safe from bombardment and where they will have access to necessities like food, water, shelter, and medicine," Sullivan said on US television on Sunday.

He also said that his Israeli counterparts had recently informed him that water, which had been cut by the Israeli authorities, had been turned back on in southern Gaza.

Sullivan stressed that the US hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza "are the highest possible priority" for Biden. While there were 15 Americans unaccounted for, he was unable to confirm the precise number of hostages being held.

Photo: MIA Archive