From the Liveblog of
Friday, April 5, 2024
Blinken: US welcomes Israeli steps to boost Gaza aid; ‘proof is in the results’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
LEUVEN Belgium – The United States welcomes Israel’s latest efforts to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, says US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, adding that success will be measured in the results of improving the situation on the ground.
“Really the proof is in the results, and we will see those unfold in the coming days, in the coming weeks,” Blinken says, speaking along EU leaders in Belgium.
The comments come after US President Joe Biden threatened yesterday to condition support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza on it taking concrete steps to protect aid workers and civilians, seeking for the first time to leverage US aid to influence Israeli military behavior.
Asked on Israel’s action after Biden’s shift in position, Blinken tells journalists Washington will be “closely looking” at specific metrics such as the number of trucks making their way into the Gaza Strip and the evolution of famine risks.
He also says Israel needs to make sure the population is protected from its strikes by “maximizing every effort to protect civilians,” adding: “We just can’t have so many people caught in the crossfire killed, injured going forward.”
The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid horrific acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.