US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that more than 25,000 women and children had been killed by Israel Defense Forces since October 7, adding that Israel can and should do more to protect civilians.

The figure cited by the Pentagon chief went beyond even Hamas’s own claim of around 22,000 women and children killed in 146 days of war, out of some 30,000 unverified deaths, and contradicted Israel’s claim that it had killed around 12,000 combatants.

“It’s over 25,000,” Austin told lawmakers when asked during a House Armed Services Committee hearing for the figure on women and children killed by Israel.

Asked about precautions Israel was taking to protect civilians, Austin added that “based upon the results and the significant loss of life, there’s more that should be done.”

It was unclear where the 25,000 number came from.

According to figures released by the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza Thursday, 30,139 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive, including 13,230 children and 8,860 women. The figures cannot be independently verified and are thought to include those killed in terrorist rocket misfires.

In a rare Hamas statement on losses earlier in February, the terror group claimed it had lost some 6,000 fighters in the war. The Israel Defense Forces says it has killed around 12,000 Hamas-led fighters in Gaza.

War in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacres, which saw thousands of terrorists burst across the border, killing some 1,200 people and seizing over 250 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid horrific acts of brutality.

The US provided unprecedented military and diplomatic support for Israel in the initial months of the subsequent war in Gaza. However, Washington has been increasingly critical of Jerusalem as the death toll from the military operation in Gaza rises and a humanitarian crisis unfolds in the densely populated coastal enclave.