US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued an official ultimatum to Israel to end the war in Gaza by January.
Blinken, speaking to officials during his latest diplomatic visit to Israel last week, said the US would continue to support the Israeli army’s efforts to destroy Hamas in Gaza. But he also warned: President Biden expects the war to end within three months of Oct. 7 given the collateral damage to Gaza civilians, sources told The Times, giving the IDF until early January to achieve its goals.
The news was confirmed by three Israeli officials to Politico, who reported that the US government has conveyed to Israel that it has until the end of 2023 to end the war in Gaza. The revelations come as America’s top diplomat delivered his sharpest public criticism yet of Israel’s handling of the war against Hamas in southern Gaza, saying there was a gap between the government’s stated intentions to protect civilians and the mounting casualties.
“Now that we are here almost a week after the start of this campaign in the south… it is still necessary for Israel to prioritize the protection of civilians, Blinken said at a news conference after meeting British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Washington on Thursday. – And there continues to be a gap between… the intent to protect civilians and the actual results that we’re seeing on the ground.”
More than 17,170 Palestinians have been killed and 46,000 wounded since October 7, when Israel began bombing Gaza in response to a cross-border attack by Iran-backed Hamas, according to Gaza’s health ministry. According to Israel, the Hamas attack killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages. According to the IDF, 92 Israeli soldiers were killed during the ground operation.
As of December 8, the number of deaths due to attacks Israel exceeded 16.2 thousand people, most of whom are women and children. More than 43.6 thousand Palestinians were injured. Gaza’s 2.3 million people suffer from food, water and medicine shortages due to massive Israeli air, land and sea bombings and a complete blockade of the exclave.
Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or completely destroyed by Israeli air and ground attacks on the besieged exclave since last month.
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