The Israel-Hamas war, currently focused on Gaza, “could easily metastasize beyond the Palestinian territory” as “deep tensions” in the region raise the prospect of a larger conflict, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday during an ongoing Journey to the Middle East.
Such fighting would “cause even more insecurity and suffering,” Blinken told reporters in Doha, Qatar, alongside Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Blinken is about halfway through a nine-stop tour of the Middle East, his fourth diplomatic mission since the war began after Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel killed 1,200 people.
Blinken has further meetings with Arab leaders in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia before traveling to Israel and Egypt. De-escalation, he said, was “at the heart” of these discussions, given repeated clashes in the Red Sea, the Israel-Lebanese border, and in Iraq and Syria.
U.S. officials said militant groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthis in Lebanon and Yemen, as well as Iranian-backed proxy fighters, were behind some incidents.
Ahead of his meetings with Israeli leaders in Tel Aviv and the West Bank scheduled for early this week, Blinken said Sunday: “I will also emphasize the need to do more to prevent civilian casualties. Far too many Palestinians, innocent Palestinians, have already been killed.”
The secretary of state, like other U.S. officials including President Joe Biden, has sought to emphasize his support for Israel's retaliation against Hamas while urging Israel to do as much as possible to protect civilians amid ongoing attacks in Gaza and other areas To curb the number of fatalities.
The Israeli military insists on taking measures to avoid attacks on non-Hamas fighters, and Israeli officials often say that Hamas embeds itself in civilian infrastructure, essentially using it as a shield, in violation of international law represents.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the death toll in Gaza exceeded 22,800 on Sunday. Arab leaders have repeatedly called for a comprehensive ceasefire, including Al Thani, who is also Qatar's foreign minister and a key figure in Gaza negotiations for the release of the more than 100 hostages believed to still be held in Gaza.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with ABC's George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America” on February 24, 2023. ABC News
Blinken said on Sunday he was “grateful” to the Qataris for their “significant” help in the earlier release of over 100 hostages, which coincided with a pause in fighting in November. Blinken has repeatedly said his diplomacy is focused on improving humanitarian conditions in Gaza and releasing hostages.
He disagreed with his Qatari counterpart over the need for a ceasefire but signaled that the Israeli military should reconsider its approach.
“I also think it is very, very important that the operations, to the extent that they continue, are focused on protecting civilians and providing the humanitarian assistance that people need, and not the other way around,” the minister said. The UN humanitarian chief said on Friday that Gaza had become “uninhabitable” after three months of fighting and Israeli bombings against Hamas.
“People are facing the highest levels of food insecurity ever recorded [and] “Famine is just around the corner,” said Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.
Blinken told reporters in Qatar that he had learned that the number of people in Gaza experiencing food insecurity was as high as 90%.
He reiterated that the US opposes the permanent expulsion of Gaza citizens, a proposal embraced by hardliners in Israel's right-wing government.
“Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions permit. They cannot and must not be pressured to leave Gaza,” Blinken said.
He called the words of some Israeli ministers and lawmakers “irresponsible” and “seditious” and said the UN was playing a “crucial role” in relocating displaced Palestinians.