The US Secretary of State renewed Anthony BlinkenToday, Tuesday, his country supported Israel, stressing that it has the right to defend itself and prevent a repeat of the October 7 attack.
During his meeting today with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Blinken stressed the “importance” of Israel avoiding harming more Palestinian civilians in its ongoing aggression against Gaza strip.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that Blinken “reiterated our support for Israel's right to prevent a recurrence of the terrorist attacks that occurred on October 7, and stressed the importance of avoiding further harm to civilians and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza.”
This statement comes despite the fact that during its aggression against the Gaza Strip – as of Monday – Israel killed more than 23,000 Palestinians and injured 58,926, most of whom were children and women. It also caused massive destruction to the infrastructure and caused an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.
In the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
In addition to the Gaza Strip, the occupation authorities also deliberately destroy the infrastructure in the cities and towns that they raid on a daily basis in the West Bank, and deliberately kill Palestinians – including children – and arrest dozens daily under various claims.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said, in a brief statement, that Prime Minister Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Blinken, “and will later hold an expanded meeting with the War Administration Council.”
The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Israeli Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, but the statement did not explain the reasons for holding it bilaterally.
Blinken also previously met in Tel Aviv with his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, and the president Isaac Herzog.
Pressure on Iran
In this context, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant called, during his meeting with Blinken, to increase pressure on Iran to prevent regional escalation.
Gallant added that our priority on the northern front is to return residents to their homes after changing the current security situation and stopping Hezbollah attacks.
He stressed that the pace of fighting in Khan Yunis will intensify and will continue until the leaders of the Hamas movement are reached and the Israeli detainees are returned.
Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv yesterday evening on his fifth visit since the outbreak of war early last October, as part of a tour that also includes Turkey, Greece, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, the occupied West Bank, and Egypt.