More than 25,000 women and children killed in Gaza: US defence secretary

Austin’s estimate, in answer to a question by a congressman, is highest-level acknowledgement of Gaza’s huge death toll.

More than 25,000 women and children have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7, according to US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, raising questions about the moral and legal aspects of the military tactics used by Tel Aviv.

Speaking during a congressional hearing on Thursday, Austin was asked by Congressman Ro Khanna how many Palestinian women and children had been killed by Israel, replying: “It is over 25,000.”

Israel has been facing mounting criticism over the targeting of residential areas leading to high civilian casualties. Tel Aviv has defended its scorched-earth military strategy despite concerns raised by rights organisations and aid agencies. The International Court of Justice has been hearing a case of genocide against Israel.

Pressed further by Khanna, citing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk’s assertion that any transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel violated international law, Austin was unable to provide a figure on how many transfers of precision-guided munitions the United States had sent to Israel.

“It’s about 21,000 precision-guided munitions,” said Khanna.