U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned today, Wednesday, that "the United States believes Israel is obligated to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas while minimizing civilian casualties in Gaza." During a press conference, he stated, "We still believe that Israel does not have to choose between eliminating the threat of Hamas and reducing civilian casualties in Gaza."
Blinken added that "Israel has a commitment to do both and has a strategic interest in doing both," pointing out that "the United States wants and expects Israel to shift its military operations in Gaza to a less intense phase where there are more targeted operations focused on Hamas leadership and infrastructure." He repeated his calls for Israel to respond to its commitments to minimize civilian casualties during its operations to eliminate Hamas.
Blinken expressed that "it is clear that the conflict will continue and needs to transition to a less intense phase," and he anticipated that "we will see a shift to more targeted operations with fewer forces focused on dealing with Hamas leadership, the tunnel network, and other important issues." He continued: "As this happens, I believe you will also see a significant reduction in harm to civilians."
