A couple of newshounds took turns grilling State Division Deputy Spokesperson Vendant Patel about a viral video displaying a man in Gaza being shot useless whereas waving a white flag. A cameraman for ITV Information within the U.K. captured footage.

“The video displays a group of guys standing with their palms up and waving a white flag as they are seeking to evacuate their families from a constructing in Al Mawasi in southern Gaza, a former so-called ‘safe zone,’” Mediaite’s David Gilmour stated on Wednesday. “The sufferer, identified as Ramzi Abu Sahloul, had just spoken to ITV News explaining that he was once trying to get his mom and brother out of the constructing.”

Simply moments later, Sahloul used to be shot. When reached for comment, the Israel Defense Forces called the video “certainly edited” and didn’t comment further.

Israel has been waging struggle in Gaza for the reason that Hamas carried out the Oct. 7 terrorists assaults that killed 1,200 Israelis. In response, the IDF has waged a defense force campaign within the territory of 2.3 million and killed more than 25,000 Gazans, or multiple % of the population. Eighty-5 percent of the inhabitants has been displaced.

President Joe Biden has supported Israel’s operation unwaveringly and has twice bypassed Congress to promote weapons to the Israeli govt. He additionally vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire.

Throughout Wednesday’s State Division press briefing, Patel faced an onslaught of questions about the killing, beginning with Robert Moore of ITV Information. He was once later joined with the aid of Humeyra Pamuk of Reuters and Matt Lee of the Associated Press.

MOORE: You will have had the chance to see some of the photos shot by our cameraman within the Gaza Strip – broadly shared online – exhibiting a group of men waving a white flag, representing no danger in any respect, unarmed and moving south to check out and reach some spouse and children. The IDF opened hearth as you will see that on that video and killed one of them, Abu Sahloul. I ponder what your response to that’s and whether or not you think from watching that video, whether that potentially represents a war crime.

PATEL: I’ve seen the, the that photos. However, I, I’m now not going to comment on the specifics round that, given I’m no longer privy to the entire cases on the bottom. And as we’ve mentioned ahead of, this is not an American operation, but past that–

MOORE: Nonetheless–

PATEL:Please. I’m chuffed to take your questions, in case you’ll allow me. If you happen to permit me to respond to, I don’t interrupt you, and I ask you to no longer do the same. As a common topic, although, we have now now not parsed our words about the moral and strategic imperative that the government of Israel and the Israeli security forces have to take every effort that you can imagine to minimize civilian casualties and reduce affect on civilians. As it pertains to the pictures that your organization has shared, once more, I’m simply going to refrain from commenting on particular operations, as we don’t have full instances of what on the bottom from here. This isn’t an American, operation. I’m now not on the ground there to talk to the,full parameters of the location. However again–

MOORE: It’s not–

PATEL: Any civilian death, any civilian demise is heartbreaking. And any civilian life lost is one too many. And we’ve got made that clear, with the Israelis. And we’ll proceed to take action.

MOORE: Beyond that remark about it being heartbreaking, which is a platitude we continuously hear, would you urge – given that your you fortify largely strengthen the IDF operations within the Gaza Strip – would you beef up an Israeli investigation of what took place in that video provided that they’re waving a white flag that represented no chance.

PATEL:  That’s for the IDF to, to undertake and decide, in keeping with the situations of that situation. What I will say is that now we have been clear to our Israeli companions that they need to take each that you can imagine measure to keep away from civilian hurt all through an operation and check out credible allegations of law or struggle violations when they arise. But that is for our Israeli partners within the IDF to talk to.

PAMUK: Just on this, Vendant. You mentioned we don’t have the entire info or one thing like that in a minute. Like, did you in reality attain out particularly to Israel about this photos and check out to get regardless of the information that they’re in the hunt for?

PATEL: This footage just arised [sic] previous this morning, so I don’t have any specifics of of our diplomatic conversations around it– around this to speak to.

LEE: Very well, how concerning the footage that arose last week and the week earlier than and the week ahead of and the week ahead of and the week sooner than the place there have been, you already know, if not equivalent, awfully close circumstances? Have you ever ever gotten an explanation from the Israelis? Have you ever ever gotten a finding from the Israelis of what their investigation, if they promised one?

PATEL: I’m not going to talk to private diplomatic conversations, Matt. But this is something that we raised constantly with the Israelis. The Secretary has finished so. Other officers and our govt have achieved so and we’ll proceed to do it.

LEE: Okay, neatly, have you ever gotten an answer from the Israelis to these questions?

PATEL: I’m just no longer going to,eight I’m not going to talk to the privacy of certain diplomatic conversations, Matt. However now we have been clear that there is a moral and strategic imperative to take as many steps as imaginable to reduce civilian casualties.

LEE: That’s nice. That’s advantageous that you say that. However then if you end up requested particular questions like this on the subject of particular photos – and this isn’t the first time that this took place – you’ve been asked repeatedly about this, and then you definitely come back and say, well, we’ve raised questions with you. We’ve asked the Israelis questions. Have you ever ever gotten a response to any of those?

PATEL: These conversations are–

LEE: I’m no longer asking you for the details. I just wanna find out about–

PATEL: We have. These conversations are personal. We have now raised with the Israelis specific situations.

LEE: And you have gotten solutions?

PATEL: Correct. I’m not going to speak to these conversations at this time.

LEE: After all, are you privy to, the Israelis say, we screwed up here?

PATEL: I’m just now not going to speak to the personal conversations, Matt.

PAMUK: Sounds such as you haven’t had a possibility to ask about this one. Are you planning to ask about this specific occasion or no?

PATEL: I’m just no longer going to talk to specific diplomatic conversations. What I’ll simply reiterate, Mara, is that we discuss to our Israeli counterparts at all times, continuously, from more than a few interlocutors throughout our government, and we’ll continue to. To take action and entrance and middle. Part of those engagements will continue to be the ethical, strategic crucial that our Israeli companions have to reduce the affect on civilians we on.

Watch above by means of the State Department.

The put up Journalists Gang Up on State Department Spokesman Who Has No Answers on Viral Video of Palestinian Shot Useless While Waving a White Flag first regarded on Mediaite.