US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Reuters File
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday mentioned he would discuss throughout a visit to Israel “concrete steps” that needs to be taken to minimize harm to Gaza civilians amid mounting alarm over hovering casualties in Israel’s bombardment of the enclave.
Speaking to reporters moments earlier than departing on his second Middle East journey in lower than a month, Blinken mentioned discussions on the way forward for Gaza when and if Hamas is defeated and methods to make sure the battle doesn’t unfold will even be key areas of focus throughout his journey.
The high American diplomat, who will go to Jordan following Israel, reiterated Israel’s proper to defend itself however mentioned each the nation and the United States had a accountability to guarantee safety for civilians caught in harm’s means.
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“We will be talking about concrete steps that can and should be taken to minimize harm to men, women and children in Gaza, and this is something that the United States is committed to. I’m not going to get into the details here, but it’s very much on the agenda,” Blinken mentioned.
“When I see a Palestinian child, a boy, a girl pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building that hits me in the gut … So this is something that we have an obligation to respond to, and we will,” he added.
The newest struggle in the decades-old battle started when Hamas fighters broke by means of the border on Oct. 7. Israel says they killed 1,400 folks, largely civilians, and took greater than 200 hostages in the deadliest day of its 75-year historical past.
Israel’s ensuing bombardment of the small Palestinian enclave of two.Three million has killed at the least 9,061 folks, together with 3,760 youngsters and a couple of,326 girls, in accordance to Gaza well being authorities.
Though the United States and different Western nations have historically supported Israel, harrowing pictures of our bodies in the rubble and hellish situations inside Gaza have triggered appeals for restraint and road protests world wide.
