Israel should not embark on combat operations against Hamas in the south of Gaza until military planners have taken into account the safety of fleeing Palestinian civilians, a White House official said, according to Reuters.

“In the event that Israel is likely to embark on combat operations, including in the south, we believe … that they have the right to do that,” White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’ programme.

“We think that their operations should not go forward until those people, those additional civilians, have been accounted for in their military planning,” Finer said.

“We will be conveying that directly to them and have been conveying that directly to them.”