Fire rages following an Israeli strike on Sunday that killed Hamas terrorists. A fire broke out, killing nearby civilians. (Reuters/Reuters TV TPX Images of the Day)
Kirby told the reporter the whole area of Rafah is densely populated and that a million people had evacuated the area.
The reporter asked how the strike did not violate a "red line" laid out by the president.
"We don’t want to see a major ground operation," Kirby said. "We haven’t seen that at this point."
Kirby continued to say the White House does not want to see a single innocent life taken.
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation in Rafah, in southern Gaza, on Monday. (Reuters/Hatem Khaled)
U.S. officials have not seen Israeli troops move in that way, according to Kirby.
He called the events on Sunday a "very tragic" airstrike, and it was not the first in recent days or weeks.
"Nobody was asking me about red lines a week or so ago when there were other airstrikes in Rafah that didn’t cause civilian casualties," Kirby said. "This is an airstrike. It’s not a major ground operation. It’s different. Now, again, we’re not taking anything at face value, either. We’re not on the ground."
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., was asked on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe" on Wednesday whether Israel had crossed the U.S. "red line" for future weapons support following the strike in Rafah.
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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., talks about his support for Israel. (Fox News)
Fetterman, who has irked the left with his staunch support of Israel, said the images from the region were "heartbreaking," but they represent a hard truth about the conflict.
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Fetterman called Israel a key ally and said he would absolutely trust and work with someone like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Hamas leaders and other key players in the region.
"It's a very difficult situation in Gaza. But I do believe that Hamas [cannot] be allowed to operate if there's going to be any enduring peace in this situation," Fetterman said.
Fox News’ Nikolas Lanum, Bradford Betz and Trey Yingst contributed to this report.
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.
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