In an interview with the CBS News broadcaster Blinken was asked “The prime minister himself said Israel assesses the IDF killed 14,000 Hamas forces and 16,000 civilians. Does the US share the Israeli assessment that more civilians have been killed than actual Hamas forces?”
The US State Secretary responded with a resolute “Yes, we do.”
“It’s reasonable to assess…there have been acts that have been inconsistent with Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law,” Blinken clarified, adding that “there are hundreds of ongoing inquiries looking at different incidents.”
Nevertheless, he responded negatively when asked if the State Department had been able to identify Israel’s possible violations of “US laws and weapons-sharing agreements.” Blinken added that Washington does not prevent the transfer of any weapons to Israel, with the exception of one batch of 3,500 bombs.
“But at present, the only thing that we’ve delayed and are holding back are these high-payload bombs because we’re in an ongoing conversation with Israel, given the impact that those weapons can have when they’re used in densely populated areas, including an area like Rafah,” Blinken noted.
Israel waged a genocidal war on the besieged Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas Resistance group carried out a historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for the regime’s intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
Israel has imposed a complete siege on the densely populated territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.
MNA/PR