Commentary: The US should use its leverage with Israel to help minimize civilian harm in the war

We cannot ignore the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza. The victims are not abstractions, nor are they the inevitable collateral damage of a just war. They are the result of choices Israeli leadership has made on how to pursue this just war.

To be sure, Hamas holds primary responsibility for this war and its casualties, having committed the horrific atrocities on Oct. 7 that provoked Israel’s response. Hamas also puts civilians in harm’s way by placing operations and facilities amid critical civilian infrastructure — which is a war crime.

But as an American