US does not support mass resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza – US Secretary of State
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the Biden administration does not support proposals for the mass resettlement of Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip, as Israel has called for.
Source: Blinken in an interview with al-Arabiya TV from Cairo, reports The Times of Israel
Quote: "I’ve heard directly from Palestinian Authority President [Mahmoud] Abbas and from virtually every other leader that I’ve talked to in the region, that that idea is a non-starter, and so we do not support it."
Details: Questioned about plans to transfer some Gazans to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, Blinken replied, "We believe that people should be able to stay in Gaza, their home. But we also want to make sure that they’re out of harm’s way and that they’re getting the assistance they need."
Background:
- On 12 October, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) told the residents of the northern part of the Gaza Strip they had 24 hours to evacuate further south for their safety and warned it would continue strikes against Hamas militants in Gaza.
- On 14 October, the IDF said that they were conducting numerous airstrikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip and were wrapping up preparations for a "significant ground operation".
- The IDF has claimed that Hamas militants were blocking the evacuation of Palestinians from the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told US President Joe Biden that he ruled out relocating Palestinians from Gaza.
- Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that for unknown reasons, the Israeli Foreign Ministry revoked permission for the planned evacuation of Ukrainians and other foreigners from the Gaza Strip on Saturday, two hours before the start.
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