Blinken: There’s a gap between Israeli intention to protect Gazan civilians and actual results

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron speak during a media availability at the State Department, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron speak during a media availability at the State Department, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday there is has been a gap between Israel’s intent to protect civilians and the actual results on the ground.

Over 16,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, with the IDF saying the ratio between civilians to combatants is roughly two to one.

Blinken during a press conference said that Israel took “some important additional steps” to protect civilians upon launching its ground campaign in the south after the truce ended last Friday.

“The Israelis have been evacuating neighborhoods instead of entire cities,” Blinken noted, also pointing to deconfliction and safe areas established by the IDF in Gaza.

“There does remain a gap between exactly what I said when I was there — the intent to protect civilians — and the actual results that we’re seeing on the ground,” Blinken clarified.

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