In a recent interview with CBS' "Face the Nation," U.
S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, is obstructing the exit of Americans and other foreign nationals from the Gaza Strip.
"The ball is in the Hamas court in terms of letting people who want to leave civilians from third countries including Americans," Blinken stated. When asked to confirm if Hamas was indeed preventing Americans from leaving Gaza, Blinken responded affirmatively.
Blinken also mentioned that U.S. personnel were stationed on the Egyptian side of the border, although he refrained from specifying whether any U.S. personnel were currently in Gaza. He declined to comment on whether Hamas had taken American hostages or if other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, were holding any.
In related news, President Biden recently had a phone conversation with Judith Raanan, 59, and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie, both American citizens who were recently released from captivity in Gaza. Amidst these developments, Israel is anticipated to launch a ground invasion of Gaza imminently.
The United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has appealed for a temporary ceasefire to allow humanitarian support to reach the beleaguered Gaza Strip. Blinken did not publicly endorse this call but hinted at Israel's past willingness to pause its military operations to facilitate humanitarian aid.
"Weve seen first of all that in order to get assistance in, weve had that happen," he said. "We want to make sure that we have sustained delivery of food, medicine, water and things that people need."
Blinken also emphasized Israel's obligation to prevent a recurrence of the Hamas attack earlier this month. He warned against a status quo that would enable Hamas to repeat its actions. The Hamas-controlled Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that at least 1,524 Palestinian children have been killed in the ongoing conflict, a claim that U.S. officials have questioned for its reliability.
Blinken expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of young lives in the conflict, regardless of their nationality or religion. He also responded to Palestinian activist Mustafa Barghouti's call for President Biden to say "Enough is enough" in relation to Israel's retaliation. Blinken argued that this sentiment should have been directed at Hamas two weeks ago and urged the world to speak out against Hamas' actions.
Blinken contrasted Hamas' vision of "death, destruction, nihilism, darkness" with the US-backed vision of Israelis and Palestinians coexisting peacefully and productively. The conflict escalated when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on October 7, prompting Israel to declare war.
The war has resulted in the death of over 1,400 Israelis and at least 31 Americans, with about a dozen still unaccounted for, including some believed to be held hostage. In response to the crisis, President Biden is advocating for a supplemental aid package to assist Israel.
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