Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken claimed on Sunday that Hamas has stopped the departure of foreign nationals from the Gaza Strip, adding that Egypt is ready to help evacuate people and provide aid to the region.
Blinken was interviewed by Al-Arabiya’s Randa Abul Azm on Sunday, who asked the secretary about efforts to move civilians out of harm’s way in Gaza as Israel mounts a ground offensive.
Azm prefaced a question to Blinken about the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the evacuation of foreign nationals by saying, “Efforts to remove foreign nationals from the Gaza Strip have been blocked by the Israelis.”
ISRAEL GIVES DEADLINE FOR PALESTINIAN CITIZENS TO LEAVE GAZA AS TROOPS Amass ON BORDERS
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar after their meeting in Doha on October 13, 2023. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on October 13, 2023, began a tour of six Arab capitals to build pressure on Hamas, while Israel prepares for a massive offensive on the Gaza Strip after the militant attacks. ((Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images))
Blinken had a different take on the matter.
“Israel does not prevent the departure of foreign nationals,” he said. “The problem is that Hamas has disrupted it and, of course, we have to make the necessary arrangements.”
He went on to say that Egyptian authorities are ready to assist in the departure of citizens and foreign nationals.
ISRAEL TELLS GAZA CITIZENS TO EVACUATE TO ‘MINIMIZE SMOKE INCENSES’ IN WAR AGAINST HAMAS
Palestinians are displaced from their homes as a result of Israeli raids on October 13, 2023, in Gaza City, Gaza. Israel has blockaded Gaza and launched continuous retaliatory airstrikes, which have killed at least 1,400 people and displaced more than 300,000, following a large-scale attack by Hamas. On October 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza by land, sea and air, killing over 1,300 people and injuring around 2,800. Israeli soldiers and civilians have also been taken hostage by Hamas and taken to Gaza. The attack prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare war and announce a wartime emergency government. (Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)
“At the same time, Egypt is fully prepared – and we are working with them – to receive aid,” Blinken said. “And we’re putting a system in place – we’re working with the United Nations, we’re working with Egypt, we’re working with other countries – to make sure that aid can get to Gaza, get to the people who need it.”
The secretary accused Hamas of harming civilians, knowing its actions would bring “a strong reaction” but going ahead with its attack anyway.
“And the reality is this: What is Hamas doing? “Hamas makes sure that all of its critical leaders, its command centers, its weapons, its ammunition are all in residential areas, in residential buildings or buried under hospitals, schools and supermarkets,” Blinken said. “They know – they’re using the Palestinians of Gaza as human shields, and that’s also shameful.”
SAUDI ARABIA SHIFTS FOCUS FROM ISRAEL TO IRAN TO COVER TENSION AFTER HAMAS TERROR ATTACK: REPORT
Smoke rises after an Israeli warplane strike east of Gaza City on July 29, 2014. The home of Hamas political leader in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh was among sites targeted by air, sea and ground strikes overnight in the most heavy shelling of Gaza since the start of the conflict in July, local health officials say at least 100 people have been killed in Gaza in just 24 hours. (Photo by Sameh Rahmi/NurPhoto) (Photo by NurPhoto/Corbis via Getty Images) (NurPhoto/Corbis via Getty Images)
Several countries have begun to express concern over the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza as Israel prepares to invade the territory after it fell victim to a surprise attack by Hamas-led terrorists.
Discussions on humanitarian aid to Gaza have taken place at various levels, with an urgent need to move “as quickly as possible on the critical issue of humanitarian access to Gaza”.
At least 3,200 people have been killed since Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel last week, including at least 1,300 Israeli civilians and soldiers and 27 Americans. Palestinian health authorities say at least 2,215 Palestinians have been killed and more than 8,700 injured.
FIRST CHARTER FLIGHT APPROACHED GREECE EVACUATING US CITIZENS FROM ISRAEL
Palestinians evacuate the wounded after an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah on Thursday. (AP/Hatem Ali)
On Friday, Israel issued a warning to residents of northern Gaza to evacuate the area within 24 hours as a “humanitarian step” aimed at “minimizing civilian casualties” during its planned ground offensive in the area.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the cumulative number of displaced people has exceeded 338,000, “over two-thirds of whom are taking shelter in schools run by UNRWA,” citing the UNRWA Relief and Works Agency. Aid to Palestine. in the Near East.
The US has urged Israel to delay the start of the operation to allow the 1.1 million people living in the north to relocate. President Biden and Blinken have repeatedly emphasized the need for Israel to abide by the “rules of war.”
PROTESTS BREAK OUT OVER COLLEGE PERSONS IN PLACE EXPECTED ISRAEL OPERATION IN GAZA
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks during the 5th Interim Coordination Meeting of the African Union at the United Nations (UN) offices in Gigiri, Nairobi, on July 16, 2023. (Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images)
The US reiterated that Hamas is responsible for the current atrocities and does not reflect the Palestinian people, who must be protected.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for access through Rafah in a speech on Thursday, but also warned against allowing large numbers of Palestinians to enter.
“The threat there is significant because it means the liquidation of this (Palestinian) case,” El-Sisi said at a military college graduation ceremony in Cairo. “It is important for her people to stand firm and exist on her land.”
Egypt’s foreign ministry later called the evacuation order a “serious violation” of international law.
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Egyptian officials have long feared that Israel is seeking to make their country responsible for Palestinians in Gaza, which Egypt ruled between the Middle East wars of 1948 and 1967. Egypt has joined Israel in blocking the Strip. of Gaza since the Hamas takeover, strictly controlling the entry of supplies and the exit of people.
Fox News Digital’s Peter Aitken contributed to this report.
