Washington: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Friday travelled to Israel for the third time since the ongoing war with the Hamas militant group began October 7.
The top US diplomat, who traveled twice to Israel last month in the wake of the unprecedented attack, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials, reports CNN.
Addressing the media in Washington D.C. Thursday before his departure, Blinken said he planned to talk to the Israeli government about “the ongoing campaign against the Hamas terrorist organization” and “steps that need to be taken to protect civilians”.
The Secretary said that he intended to discuss the hostage situation but declined to provide details about the “concrete steps” to better protect civilians.
When asked whether Israel has shown restraint in its offensive so far, he said this was “a crossfire of Hamas’ making”, CNN reported.
Blinken further condemned the militant group for “cynically and monstrously” using civilians as human shields and embedding its fighters within civilian infrastructure.
“When I see a Palestinian child, a boy or girl, pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building – that hits me in the gut as much as seeing a child in Israel or anywhere else,” he said.
“This is something that we have an obligation to respond to, and we will.”
Blinken also told the reporters that continued flow of humanitarian aid and the ongoing departure of civilians will also be a part of the discussions during his latest trip.
His last priority in Israel is to discuss “how we can set the conditions for a durable, sustainable peace; durable, sustainable security for Israelis and Palestinians alike”, the top diplomat noted.
