The assertion from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is without doubt one of the most extreme condemnations of the civilian death toll in Gaza attributable to an Israeli navy offensive.
Far too many Palestinians have been killed and much too many have suffered in the previous couple of weeks, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned on Friday, in one of the vital extreme condemnations of the civilian death toll in Gaza attributable to an Israeli navy offensive.
At a media briefing on the finish of the India-US “2+2” ministerial dialogue, the highest US diplomat mentioned extra must be completed to minimise the hurt to Palestinian civilians, in remarks that got here amid a rising outcry over the death of harmless civilians in Gaza.
“Far too many Palestinians have been killed, far too many have suffered these past weeks. And we want to do everything possible to prevent harm to them and to maximise the assistance that gets to them,” Blinken mentioned.
“To that end, we will be continuing to discuss with Israel concrete steps that can be taken to advance these objectives. We will continue to focus relentlessly on getting our hostages home,” he added.
Israel has been finishing up a large navy offensive in Gaza following unprecedented and multi-pronged assaults on Israeli cities by Hamas militants on October 7.
Hamas has killed round 1,400 folks in Israel and kidnapped greater than 220. Around 11,000 folks have been killed in Gaza in the Israeli offensive because the assaults by Hamas, in response to Hamas-run authorities in Gaza.
At a separate media briefing, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra mentioned the Hamas-Israel battle figured prominently on the “2+2” dialogue.
“Among regional developments, three sets of things discussed included developments in the Middle East. Both sides shared their perspectives of their concerns, how they look at the situation and various elements of the developing situation,” he mentioned.
“From India’s perspective, we have always stood for a two-State solution (to the Palestine issue) and an early resumption of dialogue,” Kwatra mentioned, noting that when the hostilities began, India had condemned the horrific terror assaults (by Hamas).
“We have asked for a strict observance of international humanitarian law, de-escalation of the situation and condemned the civilian casualties,” he mentioned.
In his remarks on the media briefing, Blinken mentioned the US will proceed to concentrate on increasing humanitarian help to the folks in Gaza.
“We will continue to focus on expanding humanitarian assistance that gets into Gaza and reaches people in effective ways. And we will continue to focus on the steps that can be taken now to try to start to set the foundation for durable and lasting peace, which, as we have said repeatedly and believe, has to include two States for two peoples,” he mentioned.
A joint assertion on the “2+2” dialogue mentioned each the US and India expressed their dedication to proceed coordinating with companions in the area on humanitarian help.
“Noting the horrific terrorist attacks against Israel, the ministers reiterated that India and the United States stand with Israel against terrorism and called for adherence to international humanitarian law, including with regard to the protection of civilians,” it mentioned.
They known as for the instant launch of all remaining hostages. “The ministers committed to continue coordinating with partners in the region on humanitarian assistance to meet the urgent needs of Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” the assertion mentioned.
“They expressed support for humanitarian pauses and committed to continue close diplomatic coordination, including with key partners in the region, to prevent the conflict from spreading, preserve stability in the Middle East and work toward a political solution and durable peace,” it added.
