DOHA: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that Palestinians displaced by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip must be allowed to return back home.
Blinken addressing a news conference in Doha alongside Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Sunday said that Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as early as conditions permit.
He added that the Palestinians must not be pressed to leave Gaza. Blinken said that Israeli must do more to protect civilians in Gaza.
US Secretary of State also stated that the war in Gaza could metastasize and threaten the security in the wider Middle East.
He noted that this is a moment of profound tension in the region. The US top diplomat was of the view that the conflict in Gaza could cause even more insecurity and even more suffering.
Blinken further stated that the killing of two Al Jazeera journalists in a strike in Gaza was an unimaginable tragedy and that’s also been the case for innocent Palestinian men, women and children.
Gaza Death Toll Surpasses 22,835
Meanwhile, the health ministry in Gaza on Sunday reported that at least 22,835 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ongoing Israeli bombardments in the besieged Palestinian territory since October 7.
The ministry reported that at least 113 deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours alone, with at least 58,416 people wounded during the three-month Israeli military onslaught.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had met with Jordan’s King and foreign minister and visited a World Food Program storeroom in Amman as he pressed ahead with immediate Middle East diplomatic mission to stop Israel’s war in Gaza from spreading.
During his talks with Blinken, Jordanian Ayman Safadi, minister of foreign affairs discussed the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and the need for an immediate stop to the aggression to ensure the protection of civilian population.
He also stressed the need to remove hindrances placed by Israel to prevent the access of adequate and sustained humanitarian and medical assistance to all parts of Gaza.
On his fourth trip to the region in three months, the US top diplomat stressed the need for Israel to adjust its military offensive to decrease civilian casualties and significantly boost the amount of humanitarian help reaching the Gaza Strip.
