Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested on Thursday that Israel could become “indistinguishable” from Hamas if it does not adequately protect Gazan civilians from harm.
“Now, of course, what happened after October 7th could have ended immediately if Hamas had stopped hiding behind civilians, released the hostages, and put down its weapons. But Israel is not Hamas. Israel is a democracy; Hamas, a terrorist organization. And democracies place the highest value on human life — every human life,” Blinken told reporters at a NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium.
“As has been said, whoever saves a life, saves the entire world. That’s our strength. It’s what distinguishes us from terrorists like Hamas. If we lose that reverence for human life, we risk becoming indistinguishable from those we confront.”
Blinken’s comments occurred on the same day that President Joe Biden demanded that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree to an “immediate cease-fire” to stop the war against Hamas. Biden and Blinken called on Israel to address civilian casualties in Gaza and ensure the safety of humanitarian aid workers.
“He underscored as well that an immediate cease-fire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home,” Blinken said of Biden. He emphasized that the U.S. supports Israel against the threats made by Iran after a top Iranian leader was killed by a suspected Israeli strike.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh recently said the terrorist group would not agree to a cease-fire deal with Israel unless the Jewish state completely withdraws its forces from Gaza and agrees to a prisoner-exchange deal. Hamas continues to hold dozens of hostages who were captured by Hamas fighters during the slaughter on October 7.
Earlier this week, an accidental strike by Israeli forces killed seven humanitarian aid workers from World Central Kitchen, the international food-relief charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés. The workers killed were citizens of the U.K., Australia, Poland, Gaza, and a dual U.S.-Canada national.
Netanyahu said the strike was “unintentional” and the Israel Defense Forces have promised to investigate the situation. World Central Kitchen suspended its operations in Gaza following the strike.
Left-wing opponents of the Biden administration’s support for Israel have used the attack to continue pressuring the White House into changing its Israel policy. Israel is currently preparing to invade Rafah, a Gazan city bordering Egypt, as the next step of its military campaign against Hamas.