Debate related to the war between Israel and Hamas continues to dominate international discourse as Israel ramps up its ground operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The plight of civilians in Gaza has become an even greater concern as Israel continues airstrikes aimed to root out Hamas leaders and combatants.

While more than a thousand unsuspecting civilians were killed in Hamas’ surprise attacks, it’s the loss of Palestinian lives that has elicited the most outrage from the left in America. Progressive Democrats in particular have taken to blasting Israel because airstrikes have killed civilians in Gaza, including children. This occurs even though Israel issues warnings and drops thousands of leaflets in an area before it launches a strike.

But there is a part of this reality that goes largely ignored by the press and the anti-Israel element: The role Hamas plays in maximizing the number of innocent people killed.

On Sunday, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan sat down with CNN’s Jake Tapper to discuss Israel’s ongoing military efforts against Hamas. Sullivan affirmed that civilians have been killed in Gaza and highlighted the fact that Hamas operatives blend in with the noncombatant population to make it harder for Israel to eliminate them. The terrorists hide themselves among civilians so that innocents will be killed if and when Israel conducts an airstrike on the area.

“And every single one of those deaths is a tragedy. Every human life is sacred, whether it's Palestinian, Israeli, American, or any life. And we stand firmly for the proposition that all measures should be taken that are reasonable and responsible to protect the lives of civilians."

Another issue is the fact that those who wish to flee the region are not being allowed to. Hamas is actively preventing these individuals from leaving Gaza even when Israel has been warning about impending airstrikes. Tapper noted:

“But this is hundreds of American citizens by the Jaffa gate -- I'm sorry -- by the Rafah gate. They're stuck too. They can't get out. Two weeks ago, I asked you about them, and you said it was Hamas who wouldn't let them out, but the Israelis were ready, the Egyptians were ready.”

Sullivan answered:

"So, just as there is ongoing discussions and negotiations over the hostages, we are facing a similar situation with the American citizens and other foreign nationals who are trapped in Gaza.

It is true the Egyptians are prepared to allow American citizens and foreign nationals to come through the Rafah gate into Egypt. The Israelis have no issue with that. Hamas has been preventing their departure and making a series of demands."

Others have also highlighted Hamas’ refusal to allow civilians to leave Gaza.

Palestinian human rights activist and political analyst Bassem Eid told Fox News Digital that Hamas has physically restrained and blocked people from leaving northern Gaza, sending their own security forces and "pushing people back into their houses, not allowing them to move."

"Unfortunately, sometimes we have more and more casualties among the Palestinians because of such kind of attitude and behavior of Hamas," Eid said.

"They are physically … and trying even sometimes by force to push people back, closing the entrances of the villages or the cities or the neighborhoods over there, just standing over there and not allowing for people to move out," he continued. "So I can say that they are forcing people – they never ask people to remain in their places, but they are forcing people not to get out of their homes."

It seems obvious that Hamas is doing everything it can to ensure the deaths of as many of their own civilians as possible. The higher the death toll, the more the terrorist group and governing authority of Gaza and its allies can exploit them as propaganda tools against Israel. One would think that those who claim to care about the plight of civilians living in Gaza the most would rail against Hamas just as much, if not more than, they rail against Israel.

Yet, these bleeding hearts are conspicuously silent on this aspect of the tragic situation. It appears they care only about the oppression of the Palestinians if they can somehow point the finger at Israel. But when Hamas works to maximize the death and suffering in Gaza, progressive Americans seem to deem it acceptable. Perhaps, as with other oppressed groups, the left only cares when it can leverage oppression for its own political agenda.