International Desk: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that efforts to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza have been “complicated” as terrorist group Hamas continues to use civilians as “human shields” and is reportedly blocking roads to prevent Palestinians from relocating to southern Gaza.
Terming the humanitarian situation as “urgent” Blinken added that the US is actively engaged with its partners, including Qatar to provide humanitarian aid to those who are in need. He noted that Israel is carrying out operations in Gaza as Hamas carried out terrorist attacks that killed 1,300 Israelis in the “most horrific way.”
Addressing a joint press briefing with Sheikh Mohammed after the meeting, Blinken said, “Israel is conducting operations in Gaza because Hamas carried out terrorist attacks that killed – in the most horrific – way 1,300 of its people. Hamas terrorists slaughtered, raped, mutilated, tortured, burned innocent civilians – from babies to the elderly, men, women, boys, and girls,” he said.
“Now, efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza are complicated by the fact that Hamas continues to use innocent civilians as human shields, and is reportedly blocking roads to prevent Palestinians from moving to southern Gaza, out of harm’s way. We know the humanitarian situation is urgent,” the US Secretary said.
“We’re actively engaged with partners, including Qatar, to get aid to those who need it,” Blinken said.
“Israel has both the right and even the obligation to defend its people and to do everything it can to ensure that what happened last Saturday never happens again,” he said.
“I’ve also been making it clear in all of my conversations throughout this trip that there can be no more business as usual with Hamas,” Blinken said.
In his remarks, Blinken said that the US will ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself as it continues to respond to Hamas’s attack. He spoke about US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin’s visit to Israel and said that the US continues to work closely with the “Israelis to make sure that we’re providing them what they need and that we’ll be able to do that on an ongoing basis.”