By Fex Born
Israel’s airstrikes and ground offensive in Gaza have resulted in a higher number of Palestinian civilian casualties than Hamas fighters, as acknowledged by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
During appearances on the CBS TV news program “Face the Nation” and NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Blinken was asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent claim that the attacks on Gaza had killed 14,000 “terrorists” and 16,000 civilians.
Blinken confirmed that the United States agreed with this assessment, noting that while Israel has procedures in place to minimize civilian harm, they have not always been consistently and effectively applied.
Blinken expressed concern about the loss of innocent civilian lives in Gaza, emphasizing that the attacks had failed to neutralize Hamas leaders and fighters and could potentially lead to a lasting insurgency.
He also highlighted the need for Israel to work on credible plans for security, governance, and rebuilding in Gaza.
Furthermore, Blinken criticized Israel’s use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza, stating that it had violated international humanitarian law. He pointed out that certain actions by Israel were not consistent with international humanitarian law, particularly in light of the significant loss of innocent civilian lives.
Israel’s use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law.
