US warns Israel to avoid harming civilians in Gaza
The International Committee of the Red Cross said fuel powering emergency generators at hospitals in Gaza could run out within hours.
The United States warned Israel to avoid harming civilians in rooting out Hamas from Gaza and seeking to free its captives there, as international concern grew about the growing humanitarian crisis in the Strip.
“How Israel does this matters,” Blinken told Netanyahu publicly and privately during a visit to Israel on Thursday.
“We democracies distinguish ourselves from terrorists by striving for a different standard – even when it’s difficult – and holding ourselves to account when we fall short.
“Our humanity – the value that we place on human life and human dignity – that’s what makes us who we are. And we count them among our greatest strengths. “That’s why it’s so important to take every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians,” he said.
Humanitarian aid for hostages
At issue in particular was Israel’s decision to link humanitarian assistance to the 2.3 million people in Gaza to the release of the hostages. It has therefore cut of electricity, water, fuel, and food to Gaza.
Gaza authorities said more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed and more than 6,000 have been wounded since the Hamas surprise attack on Saturday..
The International Committee of the Red Cross said fuel powering emergency generators at hospitals in Gaza could run out within hours. “Without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues,” ICRC regional director Fabrizio Carboni said. “The human misery caused by this escalation is abhorrent, and I implore the sides to reduce the suffering of civilians.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah are expected to discuss the Gaza crisis when they meet with Blinken in Amman on Friday.
Abbas, whose Fatah faction is a longstanding foe of Hamas, condemned violence against civilians on both sides on Thursday.
“We reject the practices of killing civilians or abusing them on both sides, because they contravene morals, religion and international law,” the official Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted Abbas as saying.
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