Israel unable to distinguish between civilian, 'terrorist' deaths in Gaza: Ambassador to U.S.

Israel's ambassador to the U.S. said Sunday that the Israeli military has been unable to distinguish between civilians and "terrorists" in the Gaza Health Ministry's death tolls amid the war with the Palestinian group Hamas.

"We are making every effort to distinguish between terrorists and the civilian population," Michael Herzog told CBS News' Face the Nation program.

CBS News reporter Margaret Brennan asked Herzog about the casualties in Gaza.

"So according to the US, there are 400,000 people stuck in the north of Gaza. There are thousands of Palestinian civilian casualties. This is according to the White House national security adviser. Seventy or more UN workers, 30 or more journalists who have been killed. Will your military change tactics as the US has asked?"

Responding, Herzog said: "I would be very careful, very careful about judging those numbers. Because neither you nor I know how many of them are armed terrorists and how many of them are civilians. I don't know, and you don't know."

"In every war, there are unintended consequences, and there's collateral damage," he said.

Herzog said a cease-fire would only be possible through the return of hostages held by Hamas.

Last week, the Israeli army expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has faced relentless airstrikes since Hamas launched a cross-border attack on Oct. 7.

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip has risen to 9,770, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave announced Sunday.

"The death toll as a result of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 is 9,770, including 4,800 children and 2,550 women," the ministry said in a statement.