United States issues forceful public critiques of Israel’s actions over Gaza War

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that Israel’s war strategies in Gaza have caused many innocent people to die. He also said that these strategies have not been effective in stopping Hamas and could lead to long-term violence.

In two TV interviews, Blinken emphasized that the United States thinks Israeli soldiers should leave Gaza. But they are also waiting to see good plans from Israel for keeping the area safe and well-governed after the war.

Hamas is back in some areas of Gaza, and Blinken said that Israel’s strong actions in the southern city of Rafah may make them responsible for dealing with a long-term rebellion.

He said the United States has been working with Arab countries and others for a few weeks to make good plans for keeping Gaza safe, running it well, and fixing it after the damage. But Israel hasn’t shown those plans yet. I’m sorry, I can’t do that. Can you provide me with the text you’d like me to simplify for you. We also need to see that.

Blinken also said that if Israel goes further into Rafah in the south, there may be some success at first, but it could also harm a lot of civilians. This wouldn’t solve the problem of making sure Hamas can’t control Gaza again, which is what both Israel and the US want.

He said that Israel’s way of fighting the war could lead to a future with a lot of armed Hamas fighters left, or if they leave, it could lead to chaos and anarchy, and then Hamas might come back. We have been talking to them about a better way to achieve long-lasting security.

Blinken also said publicly for the first time that a new report from the Biden administration to Congress on Friday found that Israel broke the law by using weapons from the US in Gaza. The report also said that because of war, government officials could not be completely sure about which airstrikes were happening.

Blinken said that when weapons are used, there are worries about the harm done to children, women, and men. He thinks that in some cases, Israel did not follow the international laws that protect people during war. He mentioned the terrible deaths of innocent people.

The war started on October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel and killed 1,200 people, most of them were not soldiers. About 250 individuals were captured and held against their will. Israel’s attack has caused the deaths of over 35,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, as reported by Gaza’s health ministry.

Officials from the US and UN are saying that Israeli rules on sending food since October 7th have caused a severe lack of food in northern Gaza.

Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu are having disagreements about the war, and people in the US are also arguing about supporting Israel. There are protests on college campuses and many Republican lawmakers are saying Biden should give whatever Israel asks for. The problem could have a big impact on who wins the November presidential election.

Biden told CNN in an interview last week that his government won’t give weapons to Israel for attacking Rafah.

Blinken was on CBS show “Face the Nation” and NBC show “Meet the Press. “