Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken expressed concern on Friday about the civilian death toll in Gaza, stating that “far too many Palestinians have been killed.” He emphasized the need to protect civilians and ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches them, as well as to discuss “concrete steps” with Israel to recover hostages and provide aid to the Gaza Strip.
Mr. Blinken’s comments also indicated that the Biden administration is increasing pressure on Israel to limit harm to civilians in its campaign against Hamas, as global outrage grows over the mounting toll in Gaza. Despite supporting Israel, U.S. officials have acknowledged the high number of civilian casualties.
American officials have been advocating for Israel to implement humanitarian pauses to allow Palestinian civilians to flee from the north to the south of Gaza, and the U.N. has called for a cease-fire. However, aid delivery to northern Gaza has become increasingly difficult due to the ongoing conflict.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has prompted calls for increased aid to help civilians who are facing shortages of food, water, and medicine. The situation in northern Gaza has been described as “hell on earth,” and efforts to provide aid have been hindered by logistical challenges at the Gaza-Egypt border crossing.
Nailah Morgan and Nick Cumming-Bruce contributed reporting.
