Antony Blinken has said a ceasefire from Israel will allow Hamas militants to regroup and carry out more attacks on its rivals as he batted for support for post-war Gaza.
“It is our view now that a ceasefire would simply leave Hamas in place, able to regroup and repeat what it did on 7 October,” he said, adding that humanitarian pauses can be critical in protecting civilians, getting aid in and getting foreign nationals out, “while still enabling Israel to achieve its objective, the defeat of Hamas”.
The top US official added that Israel had to take “every possible measure” to prevent civilian casualties in the enclave.
At least 51 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed and scores wounded in an Israeli bombardment of Gaza’s Maghazi camp last night, reported Palestinian news agency WAFA.
A large number of people were killed, said Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry, without giving an exact figure.