US' praise for Israel: ‘They told Gaza civilians to get out of harm’s way'
Israel-Hamas War: Antony Blinken stepped up calls for Israel to comply with international law and spare civilians.
The United States saw that Israel took steps to tell Gaza civilians where safe areas are and how they can get of harm's way, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said. The United States remains "intensely focused" on freeing hostages held in Gaza despite the resumption of the Israel-Hamas war, he said.
"We remained intensely focused on getting everyone home, getting hostages back, something that I also worked on today," he reiterated as he met with top diplomats of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain during his brief visit to Dubai. Antony Blinken also met a representative of the Palestinian Authority.
"We're determined to do everything we can to get everyone reunited with their families, including pursuing the process that had worked for seven days," he said, saying that the work was continuing "almost hour by hour".
Read more: US to impose travel bans on Israelis engaging in violence amid Hamas war: Report
“It came to an end because of Hamas,” he said on the truce. Hamas committed “an atrocious terrorist attack in Jerusalem” that killed three people and “reneged on commitments it made, in terms of releasing certain hostages," he explained.
Earlier, Antony Blinken stepped up calls for Israel to comply with international law and spare civilians.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that Israel “is committed to achieving the goals of the war: releasing the hostages, eliminating Hamas and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to the residents of Israel.”
The Israeli military had also released a map dividing the Gaza Strip into hundreds of numbered drawn parcels asking residents to learn the number associated with their location in case of an eventual evacuation.
Only hours into the renewed bombardment, Gaza said 109 people had been killed and dozens wounded as Israel said that it struck more than 200 Hamas targets. The United States continues to work with Israel, Egypt and Qatar on extending a humanitarian pause in Gaza, a White House spokesperson said.
