US Warns Israel, Insists Palestinians Must Remain In Gaza
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Palestinians must not be pressured into leaving Gaza and must be allowed to return to their homes once conditions allow.
Mr. Blinken was in Qatar on his latest Middle East tour. Condemned statements by some Israeli ministers, who called for the resettlement of Palestinians elsewhere.
He said on Sunday. That Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow, and must not be pressed to leave Gaza.
A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC that it acted against a military target in the strike and that it was not aware of the number of casualties mentioned.
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for Palestinians to leave Gaza and make way for Israelis who could make the desert bloom.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, another far-right politician, this week issued a call to encourage the migration of Gaza residents as a solution to the crisis.
Read Also:
Israel Outlines Its Plans for Gaza After War
The official line from the Israeli government is that Gazans will eventually be able to return to their homes, though it has yet to outline how or when this will be possible.
However, the onslaught in the rest of the enclave, including the south, to which Israel previously pushed Palestinians labeling it a safe area, is set to continue.
We are now focused on dismantling Hamas in the center of and south of the strip, the spokesperson said.
The Israeli military’s assault using drones, missiles, and ground forces was launched following Hamas’s attack on October 7, which killed about 1,140 people in Israel and saw some 240 taken captive.
The latest figures on casualties in Gaza show that close to 23,000 people have been killed and more than 58,000 wounded.
Many more are missing, feared under the rubble of bombed buildings. Most of the 2.3 million population has been displaced, and are struggling for food and shelter.
