US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel to open more access points for the land entry of food and medicine into the Gaza Strip and to protect humanitarian workers on the ground.
The head of American diplomacy gave these statements after a virtual meeting with representatives of the European Union, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom on the maritime corridor for sending humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.
In a press conference, Blinken said that this initiative “is positive” but “insufficient”, since it “cannot replace land access for humanitarian assistance.”
“Israel has to open the maximum possible entry points and keep them open so that aid can flow,” claimed the Secretary of State, who urged the Israeli authorities to lift the “unnecessary restrictions.”
Asks not to interrupt distribution chains
He also stressed the importance of not interrupting distribution chains once aid enters the Palestinian enclave to ensure that it reaches those who need it.
Blinken spoke this way on the same day that a humanitarian aid center of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Rafah was the target of an Israeli attack in which five people died.
According to the agency itself, more than 150 UNRWA buildings have been attacked since the Israeli offensive on Gaza began in October following the massacre perpetrated by Hamas in Israel.
Asked about this, the Secretary of State responded that “the Israeli Army and Government have the responsibility and obligation to do everything possible so that humanitarian workers can carry out their tasks.”
Protecting civilians and workers is a “priority”
Blinken stressed that “duly identified humanitarian facilities” should not be attacked and that the Israeli Army must “guarantee the safe passage” of trucks transporting food and medicine within the enclave.
Even so, the Secretary of State opined that “the most effective way” to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid “is through a ceasefire,” and in that sense he put the ball in Hamas’s court to accept the agreement. release of hostages.
“We hope that the Israeli government will ensure that this is a priority. “Protecting civilians, providing the population with the help they need, that must be the first task, even as they do what is necessary to defend the country and to confront the threat posed by Hamas,” the official said.
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