U.S. says ‘significant number of people’ died in Gaza

The U.S. State Department said Thursday that "a significant number of people" died in Gaza but is unable to offer "independent confirmation" about an exact number.

"We mourn the loss of every one of those civilians," Matthew Miller told reporters when asked about U.S. President Joe Biden raising doubt about the accuracy of the death toll announced by an agency in Gaza.

"We just are unable to offer our independent confirmation of the number because there's no independent body off that making assessment," he said. "The only organization that can give that is currently given this number is Hamas. Obviously, we don't trust Hamas."

When White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was asked about the issue, he responded: "We all obviously grieve with the families and loved ones who are affected by that. But the numbers are not reliable. They're just not reliable."

Asked if the Biden administration disputes thousands of Palestinians killed, Kirby responded: "We would not dispute that."

"We absolutely know that the death toll continues to rise in Gaza. Of course, we know that but what we're saying is that we shouldn't rely on numbers put forth by Hamas and the Ministry of Health," he said.

Biden said Wednesday that he is sure Israeli strikes in the besieged Gaza Strip have resulted in civilian casualties, but sought to cast doubt on the official toll from Gaza's Health Ministry.

"I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. I'm sure innocents have been killed," Biden said in response to a question about the civilian death toll in the more than two weeks since Israel began its bombardment of the coastal enclave.

Gaza's Health Ministry released a full list Thursday of Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli attacks on the blockaded territory.

The list included 6,747 killed, including 2,665 children.

An additional 529 bodies remain to be identified, it added.