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Top US diplomat Antony Blinken has called for the protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip and Israel during his meeting with Saudi Arabia.
The US Secretary of State has stepped up his diplomatic outreach in the Middle East in recent days to engineer an international response to prevent the conflict between Israel and Hamas from spreading.
Blinken met with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh before making a stop in the United Arab Emirates, where he sought ways to help civilians trapped between the fighting.
He also called his Chinese counterpart as Palestinians struggled to flee areas of Gaza targeted by the Israeli army ahead of an expected land offensive.
His comments followed the Hamas-led Palestinian Health Ministry reporting that an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian convoy in northern Gaza killed as many as 70 people on Friday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he leaves Doha en route to Manama in Bahrain on October 13, 2023
An Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian convoy fleeing northern Gaza on a route reportedly approved by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) killed as many as 70 people, the Hamas-led Palestinian Health Ministry said.
A fireball erupts during the Israeli bombardment of the northern Gaza Strip on October 14, 2023
Women and children as young as two to five years old were among those killed after an attack hit a Palestinian convoy of vehicles fleeing northern Gaza for the south, a BBC report said.
Many Palestinians are struggling to escape areas targeted by the Israeli army as they grapple with a growing water crisis after Israel cut off the flow of resources to the region.
Reports emerged yesterday afternoon alongside video of the destruction of the scene following the strike.
The BBC Verify service said it had confirmed that the attack took place on Salah-al-Din Street, one of two evacuation routes from northern Gaza to the south.
Hamas terrorists have urged civilians to ignore the evacuation order and some are refusing to leave, with Mahmoud Shalabi – director of Medical Assistance for Palestinians – saying that ‘no place was safe in Gaza’ and he hoped to ‘die with dignity’ .
During visits to leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Blinken cited the need for humanitarian assistance and safe passage for those seeking to leave Gaza, addressing the Arab audience from their home countries, where his hosts placed the issue at the top of their concerns .
Blinken also contacted Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to seek his country’s help in preventing the spread of the war, and asked Beijing to use the influence it has in the Middle East .
Blinken’s spokesman declined to characterize Wang’s response but said the US believes it and China have a shared interest in the region’s stability.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops ahead of the attack on Gaza
Smoke rises from a building in Gaza after Israel fired rockets in response to Palestinian airstrikes earlier on Saturday
A fireball erupts during the Israeli bombardment of the northern Gaza Strip on October 14, 2023
While in Riyadh, Blinken and Prince Faisal stressed the importance of minimizing harm to civilians.
Blinken said: “As Israel pursues its legitimate right to defend its people and try to ensure this never happens again, it is critical that we all be vigilant about civilians, and we are working together to do just that to do.
“None of us want to see the suffering of civilians on any side, whether it be in Israel, whether it be in Gaza, or anywhere else.”
Prince Faisal said it was imperative that violence between Israel and Hamas end.
He said: ‘We must work together to find a way out of this cycle of violence.
“Without a concerted effort to end this continued return to violence, it will always be the civilians who suffer first, and it will always be the civilians on both sides who ultimately pay the price.”
While in Abu Dhabi, Blinken visited the Abrahamic Family House, a complex consisting of a church, a mosque and a synagogue that represented the three Abrahamic religions. He signed a tile with the words ‘Light in the Darkness.’
Blinken planned to return to Saudi Arabia and make a stop in Egypt on Sunday. He has already visited Israel, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh on October 14, 2023
Blinken places a tile on the intention wall at the Abrahamic Family House, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, October 14, 2023
Blinken signed a tile with the words ‘Light in the Darkness’ on display at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi
Israeli Army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said earlier today that Israeli forces are now “in formation around the Gaza Strip, in the south, in the center and in the north,” as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with troops.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, and an accompanying video showed him telling them: “Are you ready for the next phase?” The next phase is coming.”
The U.S. government estimates the number of Palestinian-Americans with dual citizenship in Gaza at 500 to 600 among the Strip’s 2.3 million residents, and Washington hopes to move many of its nationals out of harm’s way.
So far, 27 Americans have been killed in the ongoing conflict that first began last weekend.
Earlier today, an updated travel advisory for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza was also released as US government personnel and their families flee Israel.
Beyond personnel, the government has also advised its citizens in Gaza to move south towards the Rafah border crossing with Egypt to be ready for its possible reopening.
However, it remains unclear whether Hamas, which controls Gaza, would allow access to the border crossing, or whether American citizens would be able to leave the country.