Staff Reports
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s adviser, Mark Regev, had an intense talk with MSNBC host Joy Reid about the reported death toll in Gaza. Reid pressed Regev to clarify the 18,000 deaths that the Gaza Health Ministry attributed to Israel since the Israeli military responded to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack, which caused the deaths of over 1,200 Israelis. Reid, in her typical hostile manner towards Israel, asked how causing so much death and destruction, with an estimated 80 percent of the dead being women and children, could possibly accomplish the goal of eradicating Hamas.
Israeli Official Gives Joy Reid a Lesson About Death Toll in Gaza
https://t.co/TYYV2izP9h— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 13, 2023
Regev, handling the hot seat expertly, first expressed gratitude for the chance to speak, despite Reid’s continuing criticism of Israel’s actions. He then explained that harming civilians in Gaza is not Israel’s goal, but the country is committed to eliminating Hamas and refuses to live beside a “terror enclave.” Ending Hamas’ rule in Gaza is a top priority for the Israeli people.
However, Reid was not satisfied with this explanation and pressed the same question again. This time, Regev educated her on the reliability of the numbers provided by the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza. He emphasized that it is essential to be cautious of those numbers, considering they are released by Hamas, which has a reputation for manipulating the truth and being merciless, as evidenced by their indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians on Oct. 7.
Not backing down, Reid brought up the United Nations and human rights groups who have supported the reported death toll figures. She challenged Regev, asking if he doubted the 18,000 number. Regev acknowledged that civilians have tragically been caught up in the fighting, as occurs in any war, but emphasized that Israel has made every effort to minimize these deaths. He pointed out the difficulty of this task, given that Hamas deliberately embeds themselves within civilian populations and infrastructure.
Despite international organizations and Reid siding with the reported numbers, President Biden has boldly expressed his lack of faith in the figures provided by the Palestinians.
