Lindsey Graham: There should be 'no limit' to civilian casualties in Gaza

In a recent CNN interview discussing the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) appeared to give Israel a pass on harming civilians in its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

The Guardian reported that in responding to a question from anchor Abby Phillip on the risk that the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) offensive posed to innocent Palestinian citizens, Graham took the position that there was no threshold for civilian casualties that would require the United States to intervene.

"If somebody asked us after World War II, ‘Is there a limit to what you would do to make sure that Japan and Germany don’t conquer the world?' Is there any limit what Israel should do to the people who are trying to slaughter the Jews?" Graham asked back in response. “The answer is no. There is no limit.”

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Graham followed up that statement by saying Israel should "try to limit civilian casualties the best we can."

"Let’s put humanitarian aid in areas that protect the innocent. I’m all for that," Graham said.

Phillip questioned Graham following the IDF's bombing of the Jabalia refugee camp, which killed dozens of civilians, according to Al Jazeera's reporting. When questioned about the bombing, an IDF spokesman told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that civilian deaths resulting from the attack — which the IDF said was meant to target a Hamas commander — was "the price of war." On Wednesday, the IDF bombed the camp a second time.

The IDF offensive in Gaza began in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, in which approximately 1,400 Israelis were killed and several hundred hostages were taken. More than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed since the IDF campaign began, with a UN report estimating that roughly 70% of those killed in Gaza so far have been women and children.