Despite “no confidence” in Palestinian death count, NSC’s John Kirby says WH doesn’t dispute thousands have been killed.

The Gaza health ministry says 7,028 people, including 2,913 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the Israel-Hamas War began. President Biden said he has "no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using.” Since then, he’s been under fire by organizations like Human Rights Watch and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

When asked about it, The National Security Council’s Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said: “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.”

The reporter then pushed Kirby on whether there was any way to confirm a number, noting “all independent journalism, including that by a lot of people in the room,” have reported the deaths of thousands of Palestinians. Kirby did not dispute that fact.