US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Palestinian civilians must be able to return home and rejected statements by Israeli officials calling for the mass displacement of Gaza residents.
Speaking at a news conference in Doha on Sunday alongside Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Blinken said the United Nations can play a crucial role in allowing displaced civilians in Gaza to return home as Israel moves to a “lower intensity phase”. » of his military campaign.
“They (Palestinian civilians) cannot – they must not – be pushed to leave Gaza,” he said.
America’s top diplomat has condemned the killing of Tel Aviv Tribune journalist Hamza Dahdouh, son of Tel Aviv Tribune bureau chief and Gaza correspondent Wael Dahdouh, and called it an “unimaginable tragedy.”
Hamza was killed along with fellow journalist Mustafa Thuraya in an Israeli attack in southern Gaza on Sunday.
Israeli forces had already killed several members of Wael Dahdouh’s immediate family in an air raid.
“I can’t begin to imagine the horror he went through – not once, but now twice,” Blinken said.
“That is why we emphasize the need – the imperative – not only to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the people who need it, but also that those people are protected from the harm caused by this ongoing conflict. first place. »
Tamer Qarmout, an assistant professor of public policy at the Doha Institute for Advanced Studies, told Tel Aviv Tribune that although Blinken expressed grief over the loss of Dahdouh, the top US diplomat did not hold Israel for responsible for the murder of journalists in Gaza.
The US State Department has twice in recent weeks issued emergency declarations to deliver bombs to Israel without congressional oversight.
At the press conference in Doha, Blinken said that all US arms deliveries to any country, including Israel, are made on the condition that humanitarian law is respected.
He said that while Israel has the right to target Hamas and ensure the group can no longer launch attacks, it is “imperative” to protect civilians.
“As operations are gradually reduced, it will certainly be easier to ensure that civilians are not harmed and it will also ensure that increased assistance can reach the people who need it,” he said.
Qatar’s Al Thani said the world is getting used to images of civilian suffering in Gaza.
“This is a great test of our humanity,” he said.
At least 22,835 people have been killed – including 9,600 children – in the Israeli attack on Gaza since October 7, according to Palestinian officials. At least 1,140 people were killed in Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, according to Israeli authorities, and around 240 others were captured.
Al Thani said the assassination of Hamas deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut affected Qatar’s efforts to negotiate between the Palestinian group and Israel over the release of captives.
Qatar has already played a key role in mediating a seven-day truce between Israel and Hamas that saw the release of more than 100 Palestinian captives and hundreds of prisoners from Israeli prisons.
Al Thani said Doha continues to negotiate and that he and Blinken discussed efforts to achieve a ceasefire and secure the release of more captives.
Blinken warns Houthis
America’s top diplomat was in Doha as part of a week-long diplomatic tour of the Middle East, seeking to calm what he sees as a “moment of deep tension” in the region amid Israel’s war in Gaza which has lasted for three months.
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have frequently exchanged cross-border fire.
Dozens of Lebanese civilians and more than 140 Hezbollah members have been killed in the fighting, sparking growing concern that the war in Gaza could escalate into a regional conflagration.
On another front, Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen have fired missiles at Israel and carried out several attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea in what they see as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The group, which controls much of Yemen, says it targets ships destined for Israel.
The attacks led many global shipping companies, including Maersk, to avoid the Red Sea shipping route, and the United States responded by establishing a multinational maritime force to protect shipping lanes in the region.
Blinken highlighted how the Houthi attacks were “hurting people around the world,” with increased shipping costs and longer delivery times for goods. He stressed that Washington was keen that the war would not spread.
“More than a dozen countries have made clear that the Houthis will be held responsible for future attacks,” Blinken said, referring to the U.S.-led coalition.
Qarmout told Tel Aviv Tribune that it is clear that the Americans are sending a clear message from Doha to neighboring Iran, which supports the Houthis, that they (the United States) do not want to see an escalation of the war.
“There is war weariness…It is also an election year in the United States. I think the Americans don’t want this conflict to escalate and involve other parties like Hezbollah and Iran,” Qarmout said.
“So I think there is a sincere desire on the part of the American people to engage in diplomacy and make progress.”
