Blinken Describes Gaza War Death Toll as "Extremely High"

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized the rising number of Palestinian casualties due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, stating that "more efforts must be made to protect civilians." In his strongest remarks yet regarding civilian suffering from the war, Blinken welcomed Israel's agreement to four-hour humanitarian ceasefires, announced by the White House on Thursday, but emphasized that further actions are necessary to safeguard civilians in Gaza. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi at the end of a nine-day trip to the Middle East and Asia, Blinken said, "An extremely high number of Palestinians have been killed; an extremely high number have suffered during the past weeks." He affirmed, "We want to do everything we can to prevent harm to them and maximize the aid reaching them," adding that "Washington will discuss the possibility of taking further steps with Israel to achieve these goals."