The Pentagon Press Briefing Room seal as seen March 27, 2020, Washington, D.C. (DoDo photo by Lisa Ferdinando)

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

WASHINGTON  –  20 people in the Gaza Strip, including nine children, have been killed on Monday by Israeli air strikes launched after rockets were fired by Hamas militants from the territory towards aimed at civilian areas in Jerusalem. Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians has exploded in recent days as Gaza’s Hamas rulers had threatened to strike after hundreds of Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police in Jerusalem.  It is the worst violence seen  in Jerusalem in years.  Meanwhile, a pentagon spokesperson said Israel has a right  to defend itself against such attacks. 

“Today’s rocket attack from Gaza into Israel is unacceptable, and the United States supports Israel’s right to self defense, and here at the department we’re going to continue our cooperation to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend and project itself.”

-Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said 

(Photo credit: Gary Raynaldo  ©Diplomatic  Times)  Pentagon Press Secretary John  F. Kirby briefs reporters at Pentagon headquarters in Washington D.C.

While Kirby said the rocket attacks from Gaza are unacceptable, the Pentagon press secretary made it clear that “Obviously we don’t want to see innocent lives taken and nobody wants to see this level of violence.” 

U.S. Department of State Condemns Rocket Attacks Into Israel 

U.S.  Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hamas needed to end the rocket attacks “immediately”.   Blinken’s spokesperson, Ned Price, added later:  “…the United States condemns in the strongest terms the barrage of rocket attacks fired into Israel in recent hours. This is an unacceptable escalation. While we urge de-escalation on all sides, we also recognize Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself and to defend its people and its territory.”

PM Netanyahu: "We are in a fight on several fronts: Jerusalem, Gaza and elsewhere in the country. This evening, on Jerusalem Day, the terrorist organizations in Gaza have crossed a red line and attacked us with missiles in the outskirts of Jerusalem."https://t.co/PELb5RAbAO pic.twitter.com/p3likIp5Sa

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 10, 2021

Israeli strikes killing civilians ‘act of terrorism’ – Ilhan Omar

This unsurprising response is devoid of empathy and concern for human suffering.

He can’t even condemn the killing of children. https://t.co/eQjysy2VCP

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 10, 2021