‘Unacceptably High’ – Blinken warns Israel over Gaza death toll

Biden’s Secretary of State warns senior Israeli officials that the civilian death toll in Gaza is ‘unacceptably high,’ calls for ceasefire agreement.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel Monday that the Biden administration has “serious concern” over the number of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip during the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas terror organization.

Blinken met Monday with senior Israeli officials in Washington D.C. Monday, after the Israeli delegation arrived at the White House for a meeting of the U.S.-Israeli Strategic Consultative Group.

Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer met with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Blinken Monday, to discuss tensions between Israel and Lebanon amidst ongoing fighting with Hezbollah, as well as the war in Gaza.

According to senior State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, during the meeting with Dermer and Hanegbi, Blinken “underscored the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, and discussed “practical solutions to resolve the remaining issues on the table in ongoing ceasefire negotiations and emphasized the importance of reaching an agreement that secures the release of hostages and alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people.”

“The Secretary reiterated the need to ensure humanitarian aid is delivered throughout Gaza. He underscored that Israel must take further steps to reduce civilian casualties and discussed the importance of avoiding further escalation along the Israel-Lebanon border and reaching a diplomatic resolution that allows both Israeli and Lebanese families to return to their homes.”

Miller later said that Blinken had warned the Israeli delegation that despite efforts by the IDF to reduce collateral damage in Gaza, civilian casualties  “still remain unacceptably high. We continue to see far too many civilians killed in this conflict.”

Blinken, Miller continued, sought “to express our serious concern about the recent civilian casualties in Gaza.”