Obama deplores civilian deaths in Gaza, Israel

Breaking his silence on the conflict in Gaza, the president-elect deplored the civilian casualties, which have been overwhelmingly on the Palestinian side, after a meeting with fiscal and economic advisors today.

"I’m very concerned with the conflict taking place there," Obama said. "I’m monitoring the situation on a day to day basis.

"The loss of civilian life in Gaza and in Israel is a source of deep concern to me, and after January 20th I’ll have plenty to say about the issue."

Obama said he was "not backing away at all from what I said during the campaign" and that "starting at the beginning of our administration, we’re going to engage effectively and consistently in trying to resolve the conflict in the Middle East."

Obama's emphasis on civilian casualties breaks slightly with the White House line, which has been to blame Hamas first.