Blinken returns to Israel with a call to prioritize civilians in Gaza
TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel for another visit to urge the country to prioritize the protection of civilians in Gaza, as Israel continues its offensive in the Palestinian territory and tensions rise in the region.
On Blinken's third visit to the region and fourth to Israel since the outbreak of the war on Oct. 7, he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's war cabinet in Tel Aviv.
The U.S. has called for a temporary "humanitarian pause" to enable more aid to enter Gaza and for hostages to be released, though Blinken and other U.S. officials have fallen short of a demand for a full cease-fire.
"We provided Israel advice that only the best of friends can offer on how to minimize civilian deaths while still achieving its objectives of finding and finishing Hamas terrorists and their infrastructure of violence," Blinken said.
In his own remarks, Netanyahu rejected calls for a pause, saying Israel's military forces will continue its operations in Gaza until Hamas is defeated and the kidnapped hostages are returned. Israel's military says Hamas is currently holding 242 hostages.
Blinken: How Israel defends itself matters
Speaking alongside Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Friday in Tel Aviv and again in a subsequent news conference, Blinken reiterated U.S. solidarity with Israel.
"We stand strongly for the proposition that Israel has not only the right but the obligation to defend itself and to do everything possible to make sure that this Oct. 7 can never happen again," Blinken said Friday.
But how Israel defends itself matters, he said.
"We've been clear that as Israel conducts its campaign to defeat Hamas, how it does so matters. It matters because it's the right and lawful thing to do. It matters because failure to do so plays into the hands of Hamas and other terror groups," Blinken said.
Blinken was set to make other visits elsewhere in the Middle East as the leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, threatened an escalation of skirmishes with Israel along the border between the two countries.
Hezbollah leader weighs in
As Blinken addressed the media, Nasrallah spoke for the first time since the war between Israel and Hamas began. The leader of the Iran-backed group stopped short of announcing an all-out war with Israel, but threatened that the group's actions will depend on developments in Gaza.
In his closely watched televised speech, Nasrallah denied that Hezbollah had anything to do with the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that killed about 1,400 people — or having any knowledge of it beforehand. He celebrated it, however.
Nasrallah said in escalating attacks along Lebanon's border with Israel, Hezbollah is intending to draw Israeli firepower away from Gaza. He claimed the operations, which have included shelling attacks, incursions and most recently suicide drones, are tying up significant parts of Israel's military and causing psychological warfare in forcing the displacement of residents in the north of the country.
He said the future of this front with Israel hinges in large part on the development of events in Gaza. He called foreign nations, and on the U.S. in particular, to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza. He warned: "If you want to avoid a regional war, you must end the aggression on Gaza."
He said Hezbollah would not be deterred from further military action by threats or by the presence of U.S. warships in the Mediterranean.
"All scenarios are open on our Lebanese southern front. All options are laid out and we can adopt any at any point in time," he said.
Netanyahu had his own threats for Hezbollah, saying an attack from Lebanon "will come at a price."
Casualties mount, as humanitarian situation worsens
The Israeli military has launched ground operations in northern Gaza and Gaza City, along with continued airstrikes. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said between Wednesday 12 p.m. and Thursday 2 p.m., there were 256 Palestinians killed in Gaza.
The Palestinian health officials said 9,155 people have died in Gaza since the start of the war. Two-thirds of those victims are children and women, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Israel reports a death toll of about 1,400 since Oct. 7. On Thursday, two Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza, "bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 17," the U.N. said.
A major focus of discussions Friday emphasized the U.S. wish for a "humanitarian pause," which Blinken said would allow much more desperately needed aid to enter Gaza and for the more than 200 hostages to be released.
On Thursday, 102 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing, bringing the total number of trucks that have entered to 374, the U.N. said. They have brought in much-needed medical and food assistance, but Israel continues to block the delivery of fuel, a major problem for Gaza's hospitals.
More people are expected to leave Gaza through the reopened crossing on Friday, as well.
Despite mounting international criticism on Israel's response to the Oct. 7 attacks, Herzog sought to defend the country, claiming Israel has followed international law in its reaction.
Herzog said Gaza citizens are receiving millions of leaflets, text messages and phone calls to alert them in advance of airstrikes and to warn them to leave the area he claimed in accordance with international law.
As Herzog and Blinken made their remarks, the families of hostages demonstrating outside could be heard demanding the return of their loved ones, of which there are many Israelis and Americans.
"We are hearing from the outside the demonstration of the families, our heart goes out to them, we understand it, we want her immediate release," Herzog said. [Copyright 2023 NPR]
