by Bassam Masoud and Humeyra Pamuk
GAZA/WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) – The U.S. secretary of state said there was a gap between the Israeli government’s stated intentions to protect civilians and the number of casualties, the harshest criticism publicly delivered by Antony Blinken in regarding Israel’s conduct in the conflict against Hamas.
“While it has been almost a week since the campaign in the south (of Gaza began), it remains imperative that Israel places importance on the protection of civilians,” Antony Blinken said Thursday at a conference of press organized after his meeting with the British Foreign Minister, David Cameron.
“A gap persists between the intent to protect civilians and the results we see on the ground,” Antony Blinken said.
Israel says it must destroy Hamas in retaliation for the group’s attack two months ago, and that it is doing everything possible to keep civilians out of harm’s way, including warning them of its military operations.
US President Joe Biden spoke by phone Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, in another call, with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
Joe Biden “underscored the essential need to protect civilians and separate the civilian population from Hamas, in particular through corridors that would allow people to move safely out of combat zones,” the White House said.
According to the spokesperson for the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, 17,177 Palestinians have been killed and 46,000 injured since October 7. Ashraf al Qidra said 350 people were killed in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
According to Israel, the October 7 attack left 1,200 people dead while 240 people were kidnapped and held hostage in the Gaza Strip.
DRAFT RESOLUTION PRESENTED TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL
Arab countries have again called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The United Arab Emirates asked the United Nations Security Council to vote on a draft resolution along these lines on Friday morning.
The United States, Israel’s ally, opposes a ceasefire, believing it would benefit Hamas. Antony Blinken is due to meet diplomats from Arab countries in Washington on Friday.
The amended draft resolution states that “the Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations must be protected under international humanitarian law” and “demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
A draft resolution must obtain at least nine votes and not be vetoed by permanent members – USA, France, Great Britain, Russia, China – to be adopted in the Security Council.
KEREM SHALOM CROSSING POINT SHOULD OPEN
Israel has agreed, at the request of the United States, to open the Kerem Shalom crossing for the purposes of monitoring and inspection of humanitarian aid delivered to Gaza, a senior American official said on Thursday.
Egypt and the UN said they called on Israel to reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing – located at the intersection of Israel, the Gaza Strip and Egypt – to allow entry humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.
The number of trucks entering the Palestinian enclave each day has fallen to less than 100, compared to nearly 200 during the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, according to the UN.
Colonel Elad Goren, head of the Israeli Civil Administration in the Palestinian Territories (COGAT), told reporters: “We will open Kerem Shalom only for inspection purposes. This should happen in the coming days.”
(Reporting Bassam Masoud in Gaza, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem, Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis in Washington, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan in Cairo, Michelle Nichols at the United Nations and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Geneva, written by Grant McCoo; French version Camille Raynaud)
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