The chief ambassador for America declares that “far too many Palestinians have been killed.”

The chief ambassador for America declares that “far too many Palestinians have been killed.”

The latest indicator that the Biden administration is becoming more and more concerned about the number of civilian deaths as a result of Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion is Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken’s statement on Friday that “far too many Palestinians have been killed” in Gaza.

Much more work needs to be done to safeguard civilians and make sure that humanitarian aid gets them, Mr. Blinken told reporters in New Delhi after concluding a diplomatic visit to Middle Eastern and Asian nations.There are simply too many Palestinians dead. There have been far too many catastrophes over the past several weeks. We also want to make sure they get the most assistance and safety possible by taking all necessary precautions.

He went on to say that US authorities will keep talking to Israel about “concrete steps” to free at least 240 captives taken by Palestinian militants and deliver aid to Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Mr. Blinken’s comments also hinted that, as indignation from the UN and numerous other nations builds over the growing death toll in Gaza, the Biden administration is increasing pressure on Israel to take more steps to minimise injury to civilians in its war against Hamas. Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, when over 1,000 Palestinians were killed, according to Israeli sources, the US has unwaveringly supported Israel; nevertheless, it has also advised Israeli leaders to use caution in their campaign.

Last month, President Biden expressed scepticism about the death toll disclosed by the Gaza health ministry, which last week declared over 10,000 fatalities. However, since Israel started its campaign of retaliation for the Hamas attack, thousands of civilians have died, as admitted by U.S. authorities in recent days.

When asked about Palestinian civilians, American authorities have stated that Hamas exploits civilians as human shields and that they are unable to verify any toll.

However, they have only provided generalisations. “There have been many thousands killed, and each one is a tragedy,” said John Kirby, the national security spokesperson for the United States, to reporters on Tuesday. The assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, testified before a House committee on Wednesday that American officials believed the number of civilian deaths to be “very high, frankly, and it could be that they’re even higher than are being cited.”

Furthermore, Israel has been under pressure from the Biden administration to agree to humanitarian pauses in order to allow more Palestinian civilians to escape to the southern part of Gaza from the northern part, where Israel has focused its ground operations against Hamas. The White House said on Thursday that Israel had consented to daily four-hour pauses in certain parts of northern Gaza following days of lobbying from American officials.

According to Mr. Kirby, the pauses would make it easier to send relief and perhaps even aid in the freeing of some of Hamas’s hostages.

Speaking on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, American authorities have echoed the concerns expressed by UN representatives and relief workers regarding the fact that over a million people have been forced from their homes. Officials from the United States and Israel have opposed the UN’s demand for a cease-fire, claiming that it would give Hamas time to reorganise.

The United Nations Relief Office announced on Friday that it was unable to provide supplies to several hundred thousand Palestinians living in northern Gaza, where Israel’s military is conducting a ground operation and has issued evacuation warnings.

The spokesperson for the relief office, Jens Laerke, told reporters on Friday that “if there is a hell on earth, it’s northern Gaza.”

He claimed that the Rafah gate, which is located near Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, was not intended for big relief convoys and was instead built as a pedestrian crossing point. U.N. and American officials have stated that much more is required to assist residents in Gaza, who are facing limited supplies of food, clean water, and medicine. So far, only a small number of convoys have been able to reach the border.