Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed reports that civilians appeared to have been killed during Israel’s mission to rescue four hostages held by Hamas over the weekend but said that the US was not in a position to verify an exact or estimated death toll from the operation.

Sullivan appeared across the Sunday show circuit as the Biden administration appeared to be taking something of a victory lap on the development. He had, a day earlier, congratulated Israel’s government and military for the successful rescue in a statement which did not mention civilian casualties, even as initial reports across Saturday indicated that dozens of civilians had been killed in the operation.

Palestinian health officials have said that more than 270 civilians were killed during the attack; IDF commanders have put their estimation at less than 100.

“We the United States are not in a position today to make a definitive statement about that,” said the president’s national security adviser on Sunday. “But we do know this, Dana, innocent people were tragically killed in this operation. The exact number we don’t know, but innocent people were killed.”

While acknowledging that Palestinian civilians living in Gaza were going through “hell”, Sullivan stuck to the Biden administration’s refrain: that the blame lies solely with Hamas for operating in areas tightly-packed with civilians.

“Every day that we see more innocent people lost is another horrible, awful, tragic day,” said Sullivan.

Israeli forces separately issued a statement denying reports that emerged on social media claiming the attack was carried out by Israeli forces concealed within aid trucks brought into Gaza by the floating pier set up by the US military to facilitate humanitarian aid shipments.

On Saturday, as news of the rescue operation broke, the White House issued a statement congratulating the Israeli government. It also called on Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal with Israel, even as both governments have stated that a dissolution of the militant group is necessary as part of a path forward in Gaza.

“Today, Israeli security forces conducted a successful operation to rescue four hostages from the grips of Hamas in Gaza. All four were taken from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, and Hamas filmed the horrific abduction of Ms Argamani for the world to see. Now they are safe and reunited with their families. We commend the work of the Israeli security services that conducted this daring operation,” Sullivan said on Saturday.

“The United States is supporting all efforts to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas, including American citizens. This includes through ongoing negotiations or other means. The hostage release and ceasefire deal that is now on the table would secure the release of all the remaining hostages together with security assurances for Israel and relief for the innocent civilians in Gaza.”

Sullivan said on Sunday that Hamas has not yet responded to the latest ceasefire offer brokered in part by the United States; US officials have repeated that assertion for several days while simultaneously deflecting concerns that Israel’s government — or at the very least important parts of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition — are not on board.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza continues to climb and aid agencies warn that the entire region is under severe risk of famine. Shocking images of carnage continue to spread across social media and demonstrations carry on in major cities around the globe calling for the war to end.

On Saturday, one of those demonstrations took place in Washington, DC as activists formed a “red line” which encircled the White House with the aim of calling on President Biden to enforce his so-called red line in Rafah. The US president has said he will cut off some military assistance to Israel if a major operation takes place in the southern Gaza city.

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Sullivan says ‘innocent people were killed’ in Israeli rescue operation

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that “innocent people were killed” in the Israeli military operation that rescued four hostages over the weekend.

The Israeli military said it rescued four hostages in a special operation in central Gaza on Saturday. CNN’s Dana Bash asked Sullivan on “State of the Union” whether the U.S. can confirm how many people were killed in the operation, noting that two separate hospitals in the area said at least 236 people were reportedly killed.

Sullivan explained that the Gaza Health Ministry and the Israeli military have put out differing numbers and that the U.S. could not confirm how many casualties there were.

“We, the United States, are not in a position today to make a definitive statement about that. The Israeli defense forces have put out one number. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has put out another number,” he said.

“But we do know this, Dana. Innocent people were tragically killed in this operation. The exact number we don’t know, but innocent people were killed. And that is heartbreaking. That is tragic,” he added.

He said that the Biden administration would prefer a cease-fire deal to get hostages home instead of military operations. He said Biden “thinks the best way to get all of the hostages home is in a deal where they’re brought out diplomatically, where there’s no need for military operations to get every last hostage out.”

“In the absence of that, without Hamas saying yes to the deal, unfortunately, we are going to continue to see ongoing conflict and military operations in which Israel makes efforts to recover its citizens and, frankly, to recover American citizens. What we would much prefer to see is a cease-fire where the hostages come out peacefully,” he added.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Sunday that at least 274 Palestinians were killed in the operation, and another 700 were wounded. The ministry also said that at least 37,000 have been killed in the ongoing fighting since the war began after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Sullivan also said Sunday that the U.S. was not militarily involved in the Israeli hostage rescue mission.

“Well, the one thing I can say is that there were no U.S. forces, no U.S. boots on the ground involved in this operation. We did not participate militarily in this operation,” he said.

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Biden’s national security adviser calls for ceasefire deal after Israeli hostage rescue mission

National security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday said an “enduring ceasefire” deal between Israel and Hamas is “the only credible path forward” after an Israeli hostage rescue mission that Gazan officials say killed at least 274 people.

“The best way to get all of the hostages home and to protect Palestinian civilians is to end this war. And the best way to end this war is for Hamas to say ‘yes’ to the deal President Biden announced and that Israel has accepted, which lays out a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the return of all hostages,” Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”

“That’s what we are driving for. And that’s what we’re asking the world to call upon Hamas to accept,” Sullivan added.

His comments come after the Israeli military on Saturday rescued four hostages in a special operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, that Gazan authorities said killed 274 people and injured nearly 700 others.

CNN has no way of verifying casualty numbers reported by Palestinian officials in Gaza. Medical records in the war-torn enclave do not differentiate between civilians and militants killed. The IDF has disputed those numbers, saying it estimated the number of casualties from the operation was “under 100.”

“Innocent people were tragically killed in this operation. The exact number, we don’t know, but innocent people were killed and that is heartbreaking. That is tragic,” Sullivan said Sunday.

“The president himself has said in recent days that the Palestinian people are going through sheer hell in this conflict because Hamas is operating in a way that puts them in the crossfire, that holds hostages right in the heart of crowded civilian areas,” he added.

Pressed by Bash on whether the US was comfortable with how the mission was carried out, Sullivan called for a diplomatic solution “where there’s no need for military operations to get every last hostage out.”

“Unfortunately, we are going to continue to see ongoing conflict and military operations in which Israel makes efforts to recover its citizens and, frankly, to recover American citizens. What we would much prefer to see is a ceasefire where the hostages come out peacefully,” he said.

The Biden administration has been pushing allies in the Middle East to make specific threats to Hamas as part of an urgent campaign to push the group toward accepting the latest Israeli ceasefire and hostage proposal that would pause the fighting in Gaza.

US officials have publicly called on the group to accept previous ceasefire proposals on the table as Israel and Hamas have engaged in months of back-and-forth negotiations, but there has never been an all-out pressure campaign marked by specific asks to individual countries as part of the Biden administration’s push.

While the US has not confirmed Hamas’ claims that other Israeli hostages held inside Gaza were killed during the mission, Sullivan said broadly that it is “always a risk,” going on to advocate for the ceasefire deal Biden has been lobbying for in recent days.

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Jake Sullivan says U.S. aided Israel’s hostage rescue mission without sending troops on the ground

Saturday’s operation was “one of the bloodiest Israeli assaults” since the conflict began on Oct. 7

In a string of interviews that aired across major cable and broadcast networks Sunday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan urged both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to agree to President’s Joe Biden three-phase to end the war in Gaza.

Sullivan’s appearances — on ABC’s This Week, CBS’s Face the Nation and State of the Union on CNN — came the morning after an Israel Defense Force-led operation rescued four Israeli hostages from a refugee camp in central Gaza. The military operation reportedly resulted in 274 deaths while injuring an additional 698 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Israel's military spokesman Daniel Hagari, however, estimated there were fewer than 100 casualties.

Abu Obaida, spokesman for Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades military wing, claimed three hostages were killed in the attack, one of whom was a U.S. passport holder, reports USA Today. Israeli military spokesperson Peter Lerner, however, said any update from Hamas should be taken "with a grain of salt."

Saturday’s rescue mission was described by Reuters as “one of the single bloodiest Israeli assaults” since the Oct. 7 attacks, which left an estimated 1,200 dead in Israel.

The Associated Press reports that 36,379 Palestinians and Israelis have been killed in Gaza in the eight-month conflict, according to data from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. An additional 84,000 have been injured.

Here are some key takeaways from Sullivan’s back-to-back Sunday interviews.

The U.S. aided Israel in the hostage rescue mission — but had no forces on the ground.

Sullivan said the U.S. aided in the Saturday mission to rescue four Israeli hostages, all of whom were kidnapped during the Oct. 7 attacks, but offered few specific details about the U.S.’s involvement.

“I can only just say that we have generally provided support to the [Israel Defense Force] so that we can try to get all of the hostages home, including the American hostages who are still being held,” he told State of the Union host Dana Bash. There are currently eight U.S. citizens being held hostage in Gaza.

While the U.S. had been working with Israel on the mission “for months,” Sullivan told This Week host Martha Raddatz that no U.S. troops were sent to participate in the operation.

“We didn’t have any U.S. forces on the ground,” he said.

Israel and Hamas haven’t come to terms on ceasefire deal

Sullivan told Meet the Press host Margaret Brennan that neither Israel nor Hamas has agreed to Biden’s three-phase plan to end the war in Gaza. He hopes they will come to an agreement before Netanyahu addresses Congress on July 24 — putting the onus on Hamas to make the first move.

“The whole world is looking to Hamas to say yes,” he told Brennan, adding that the U.S. is in constant contact with Qatar and Egypt, who are acting as “mediators” between the U.S. and Hamas during ceasefire negotiations.

Hamas initially expressed a willingness to advance the ceasefire plan, while Netanyahu has said he would move forward only after Hamas is completely destroyed.

Hamas is making it ‘impossible’ to avoid civilian casualties

Sullivan said Hamas’s military tactics have placed innocent people in an “impossible situation,” making it difficult for Israel’s allies to advance rescue efforts without risking civilian lives.

“Hamas hides among the civilian population, holds hostages among the civilian population, fires at the IDF from behind the civilian population,” he told Raddatz on This Week.

Lerner, who also appeared on This Week Sunday, offered additional context on the degree to which Hamas compromises the lives of civilians — including hiding hostages in residential apartment buildings. He told Raddatz that Hamas attacked the IDF as they were attempting to extract the hostages on Saturday, which he said led Israel to respond with several airstrikes as self-defense, causing more casualties than previously anticipated.

“The tragedy of civilians being caught up in this is precisely because of how Hamas is battling us in the battleground,” Lerner said.

The U.S. supports Israel despite concerns over humanitarian crimes

Sullivan referenced the U.S. State Department’s latest report highlighting possible humanitarian crimes by Israel against Palestinians, telling Brennan there’s “enough information to have concern” about Israel’s military tactics.

Later, he told Raddatz that the U.S. stands on the side of Israel despite having made several warnings to Netanyahu that Israel should be taking “extra precautions” when it comes to protecting civilians.

“The U.S. will support Israel in taking steps to try and rescue hostages who are currently held by Hamas, and we will continue to work with Israel to do that,” Sullivan said, stressing the point that “Israel has the right to go after Hamas.”

“We have said all along that Israel should be operating in a way, not just consistent in the laws of war, but should take extra precautions to try to protect civilians,” he continued. “We see individual incidents where we’ve spoken out about where we would like to see them operate differently, where we would like them to be more precise, more targeted in their operations. And we will continue to speak out on those issues.”

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