Israel Killed More Civilians Than Hamas Fighters - Blinken

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted Israel has killed more civilians than Hamas fighters, responding to the reporter’s question about the National Security Memorandum 20 which he submitted to Congress on May 10.

In an interview with the CBS News broadcaster Blinken was asked "The prime minister himself said Israel assesses the IDF killed 14,000 terrorists and 16,000 civilians. Does the US share the Israeli assessment that more civilians have been killed than actual terrorists?"

The US State Secretary responded with a resolute "Yes, we do."

“It's reasonable to assess…there have been acts that have been inconsistent with Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law,” Blinken clarified, adding that "there are hundreds of ongoing inquiries looking at different incidents."

Nevertheless, he responded negatively when asked if the State Department had been able to identify Israel’s possible violations of "US laws and weapons-sharing agreements."

Blinken added that Washington does not prevent the transfer of any weapons to Israel, with the exception of one batch of 3,500 bombs.

"But at present, the only thing that we’ve delayed and are holding back are these high-payload bombs because we’re in an ongoing conversation with Israel, given the impact that those weapons can have when they’re used in densely populated areas, including an area like Rafah," Blinken noted.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted during the attack. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 35,000 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.