Palestinians must be able to stay in Gaza – Blinken
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, asserts that Palestinians should not face pressure to leave Gaza and should have the opportunity to return to their homes when conditions permit.
Blinken criticized statements from some Israeli ministers advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians elsewhere. The US official made these remarks during his visit to Qatar as part of his ongoing Middle East tour.
His comments come amid reports of dozens of casualties at a refugee camp in northern Gaza, particularly in Jabalia, where footage reveals bodies in the debris of a demolished building, including many women and children. The Israeli military has not yet responded to these reports.
In the past day, over 60 Palestinians have reportedly lost their lives in the southern city of Khan Younis. The Jabalia camp has been repeatedly targeted since the initiation of Israel’s conflict with Hamas following the unprecedented attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel on October 7.
During these hostilities, more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, and approximately 240 were taken hostage in the Hamas raids.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, over 22,000 people, predominantly women and children, have been killed in Gaza, with at least 113 deaths reported during 24 hours of Israeli bombardment.
Blinken emphasized on Sunday, “Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow. They cannot, they must not be pressed to leave Gaza.”
However, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have expressed views urging Palestinians to leave Gaza, suggesting that Israelis could replace them.
While the official stance from the Israeli government indicates that Gazans will eventually be allowed to return home, specific details and timelines remain undisclosed.
The situation in Gaza is rapidly deteriorating, with health officials stating that even medical facilities, including hospitals, are no longer safe.
Three international medical aid groups announced their withdrawal from Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza after Israel issued evacuation orders.
This move has raised significant concerns about the hospital’s ability to handle the escalating number of casualties.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reported that over 600 patients and health workers were forced to leave the hospital, and their current whereabouts are unknown.
Mr Blinken’s latest trip to the Middle East comes amid rising tensions in the region, with concerns that the war in Gaza could spread.
Saleh al-Arouri, a top Hamas official, was assassinated in a suspected Israeli attack in southern Beirut on Tuesday along with six others – two Hamas military commanders and four other members.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, the powerful Iranian-backed movement in Lebanon, described Arouri’s assassination as a “flagrant Israeli aggression” that would not go unpunished.
Hezbollah then fired rockets into Israel on Saturday as a “preliminary response” to the killing of Arouri.
“This is a moment of profound tension in the region. This is a conflict that could easily metastasize, causing even more insecurity and even more suffering,” Mr Blinken said.
Qatar’s PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al -Thani said that the killing of Arouri had affected “the complicated process”.
Mr. Blinken also said that the death of journalist Hamza al-Dahdouh, the eldest son of Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief who was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Gaza., was “an unimaginable tragedy”.
He added that “far too many innocent Palestinian men, women, and children” have died in the war.
Mr Blinken arrived in Qatar following stops in Jordan, Turkey, and Greece. He went on to Abu Dhabi late Sunday, and on Monday is due to travel to Saudi Arabia.
