State Dept. spokesman says ‘hard not to feel suffering’ of Palestinian children killed

US State Department spokesman Ned Price is pressed during his daily press briefing whether he has seen photos of the Palestinian children killed reportedly in Israeli airstrikes.

“I’ve seen those pictures. It’s hard not to look at those pictures and feel a sense of the suffering,” he says solemnly. “It’s precisely why today we have called for restraint and de-escalation in an effort to preserve life.”

He also calls Hamas rocket attacks “horrific.”

He also says: “We call for restraint and for calm. Israel has the right to defend itself and to respond to rocket attacks.

“The Palestinian people also have the right to safety and security, just as Israelis do,” Price tells reporters.

“Reports of civilian deaths are something that we regret and would like to come to a stop,” Price adds. “We don’t want to see provocations. The provocations we have seen have resulted in a deeply lamentable loss of life,” he says.

“We continue to call for calm, continue to call on all sides to de-escalate and to exercise restraint in their actions.”