In a continuation of its stance of defending, ignoring, and failing to condemn Israeli crimes, the US State Department held Hamas responsible for the killing of Palestinian journalist Hussam Shabat in an Israeli airstrike.

This came in statements made by US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce on Monday during her daily press conference.

Asked whether Israel's killing of journalists, despite its extensive intelligence gathering and use of precision munitions, constituted a war crime, Bruce replied, "I would say that everything that happened is a result of Hamas."

Ignoring Israel's reneging on the agreement and resuming its war of extermination, Bruce accused Hamas of "not making sufficient efforts to ensure the truce continues."

The US spokeswoman also accused Hamas of "using people as human shields," a charge the movement has always denied.

On Monday, journalists Hossam Shabat and Mohammed Mansour were killed in Israeli attacks. Following their deaths, the Government Media Office in the Gaza Strip announced yesterday, Monday, that the number of Palestinian journalist martyrs had risen to 208 since October 7, 2023.

Since resuming its genocide on March 18, Israel has killed 730 Palestinians and injured 1,367 others, most of them children and women, according to the Ministry of Health.

The US administration continues to ignore and cover up Israeli crimes in Palestine, refraining from condemning them, while the current Trump administration provides unlimited support to the Israeli government and its practices.

Asked about violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, Bruce said, "I'll get back to you later if there are any deaths or injuries."

Regarding the latest developments in the investigation into the case of Turkish-American activist Ayse Nur Azgi Aygi, who was killed by Israeli soldiers, she replied, "I must say that in our world, we often condemn anyone being harmed, injured, or killed."

She added: "As for the nature of what Israel is doing, I'm not going to talk about the nature of the choices they have to make during what is, frankly, one of the most difficult times in the history of anyone in the region."

On September 6, 2024, the Israeli army shot and killed activist Aisha Nour with live ammunition while participating in an anti-settlement protest in the town of Beita, Nablus Governorate, in the northern occupied West Bank.