Hamas official faults Blinken’s visit to West Bank as more people killed in Israel’s overnight attacks
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri has faulted the US Secretary of State’s visit to the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, saying there was no fundamental change in the US position.
Antony Blinken, who is on his fourth tour of the region since October 7, visited Israel on Tuesday. He highlighted the civilian death toll in Gaza, saying it is “far too high”, especially among children, and called for aid to reach the besieged strip more effectively.
Fighting has not stopped in Gaza as Israel intensified bombing and ground incursions in central and southern Gaza with dozens killed in overnight attacks.
Reacting to the visit by the top US official, Abu Zuhri said, “The aim of the visit was to support the security of the occupation,” he told Reuters. “There are no differences between Israel and the Americans.”
In a statement, Hamas also said Blinken’s position “reflects the extent of US involvement in these crimes and the widespread violations of all international laws committed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip”.
“Blinken’s attempts to justify the genocide committed by the Israeli occupation army against Palestinian civilians – by saying that the Palestinian resistance is concentrated among civilians – are miserable attempts to wash the hands of the criminal occupation of the blood of children, women and the elderly of Gaza,” it added.
No fewer than 23,210 people have been killed and more than 59,100 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 attack stands at 1,139.
