U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeals Israel to take steps to protect civilians in Gaza

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appealed to Israel on Friday to take steps to protect civilians in Gaza as its forces kept up their bombardment of the Palestinian enclave and the death toll among residents soared. The visit aims to push for humanitarian pauses in the war to minimize harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip. 

This is his third visit to the country since the deadly Hamas attacks on 7 October.  Blinken also reiterated that Israel has a right to do everything possible to ensure that such an attack never happens again. On the other hand, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected calls for a temporary ceasefire in the conflict with Hamas. Netanyahu said he would not agree to such a move until the hostages Hamas took during its attack on Israel on 7 October were released.

The leader of Islamist group Hezbollah has broken his silence on the Israel-Gaza war. In a speech Hassan Nasrallah praised the 7 October attacks in Israel that killed 1,400 people. In his speech, he railed against the United States, saying it was responsible for the war in Gaza. Nasrallah also thanked Iran-backed forces in Yemen and Iraq.

Hezbollah which is backed by Iran and considered a terrorist group in the UK and US, has been intensifying attacks on northern Israel from Lebanon. Israel has warned Hezbollah of a response of unimaginable magnitude if it decides to join the war.

Yesterday, US President Joe Biden addressed the need for a break in the conflict to get aid into Gaza. Though the White House clarified that such a



humanitarian pause would be temporary, localised and focused on  particular objectives, that is humanitarian aid. Both Israel and the US have rejected a blanket ceasefire between Palestinians and Israel, which they said would allow Hamas to regroup and resupply.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops tightened their encirclement of Gaza City to crush the enclave’s ruling Hamas militants. Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said that more than 9,000 people have been killed in Gaza Strip since Israel launched its retaliatory strikes. Two hundred forty-two women, children and the elderly are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

The UN said this morning that it would launch an appeal on Monday for 1.2 billion dollars to support the entire population of Gaza and the West Bank until the end of this year.  The funds will go towards supplying and restoring food, water, health, and shelter. Israel has allowed more than 260 trucks carrying food and medicine through the crossing, but aid workers say it’s not enough. Rafah crossing will be opened for the third time today since Wednesday for the evacuation of dual nationals. 

Roughly 800 people including hundreds of Palestinians with foreign passports and dozens of injured have been allowed to leave the Gaza Strip an apparent agreement among the U.S., Egypt, Israel, and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas. Israel also sent back around 7,000 Palestinians who had been working in Israel and the West Bank before October 7 to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south.