"Israel has a right to go after Hamas
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,..., and we understand this strike killed two senior Hamas ... [activists] who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians," Kirby was quoted by the Rooters as saying. "But as we’ve been clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians."
"We are actively engaging the [Israeli army] and partners on the ground to assess what happened, and understand that [it] is conducting an investigation," he said.