National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby struggled to hold back tears while discussing sickening details of Hamas’ attack on Israel.
CNN’s Jake Tapper asked the White House official about images from the region of kidnapped children and women who had been abducted and likely raped, describing the horrifying “death and destruction.”
Kirby struggled to respond, choking up.
“Sorry,” he said. “Excuse me. It’s very difficult to look at these images, Jake, and the human cost. And these are human beings. They’re family members. They’re friends. They’re loved ones. Cousins, brothers, sisters. Yeah, it’s difficult, and I apologize.”
Tapper told him there was “nothing to say sorry for.”
Israel declared war on Hamas on Sunday after the militant group launched a brutal surprise attack early Saturday morning, killing hundreds of people in Israel and taking scores of hostages back to Gaza.
Horrifying videos showed civilians being gunned down and kidnapped.
Israel has subsequently bombarded the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, with airstrikes, leaving Palestinian civilians with limited options for shelter.
The war has already claimed at least 1,600 lives on both sides. Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed to retaliate with force that will “reverberate … for generations.”