US Criticizes Israel Over Death Toll in Gaza

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his strongest public criticism of Israel, said there was a gap between the government's declared intentions to protect civilians and the casualties in Gaza.

"As we stand here almost a week into this campaign into the south, it remains imperative that Israel put a premium on civilian protection," Blinken told a press conference after meeting British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Washington on Thursday.

"And there does remain a gap between,  exactly what I said when I was there,  the intent to protect civilians and the actual results that we're seeing on the ground," he said.

"There are a number of things that we think it would be important to really focus in on not only having these safe areas but making sure that the communications are such that people know where they can go, when they can go there safely; making very clear when the periods of being able to move from one place to another are in place," Blinken added.

The US is regularly talking with Israel about civilian protection in Gaza on a regular basis, including between US President Joe Biden and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Blinken said.

"Israel has an obligation to do everything possible to put a premium on protecting civilians and maximizing humanitarian assistance," Blinken stressed.

More than 17,170 Palestinians have been killed and 46,000 wounded, according to the Gaza health ministry, since Oct. 7, when Israel began bombarding Gaza in response to a cross-border attack by Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

The majority of those killed in Gaza, around 70 percent, are women in children. An estimated 1.9 million or 85 percent of Gaza residents have been displaced from their homes since Oct. 7. Food, water, adequate shelters, medicine, and sanitation are scarce.

SITA PLANASARI | REUTERS

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