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Source: https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-a-press-availability-45/
U.S. Secretary of State: None of the Suffering in Gaza Would Have Happened If Hamas Hadn't Done What It Did on Oct. 7
(U.S. State Department) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a press conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday: "We continue to stand with Israel in ensuring that October 7th can never happen again....We're intensely focused on bringing the remaining hostages home, addressing the humanitarian crisis and strengthening protection of civilians in Gaza, and preventing the conflict from spreading." "We believe the submission [by South Africa] against Israel to the International Court of Justice distracts the world from all of these important efforts. And moreover, the charge of genocide is meritless. It's particularly galling, given that those who are attacking Israel - Hamas, Hizbullah, the Houthis, as well as their supporter, Iran - continue to openly call for the annihilation of Israel and the mass murder of Jews." "We strongly support the proposition that Israelis need to know security so that they can return to their homes in northern Israel. Eighty-thousand or so Israelis have been forced from their homes because of insecurity coming from southern Lebanon, the rocket attacks, other threats posed by Hizbullah." "More broadly, we have a number of actions being taken by the Houthis, by other Iranian proxies in Iraq, in Syria, that threaten stability....The threat that the Houthis are posing, that's a threat not just to us or to Israel; it's a threat to the entire international community because they've been attacking shipping through the Red Sea that provides about 15% of global commerce every day....And more broadly, it's a threat to the principle of freedom of navigation that every country has a stake in." "We want this war to end as soon as possible. There's been far too much loss of life, far too much suffering. But it's vital that Israel achieve its very legitimate objectives of ensuring that October 7th can never happen again, and we believe they've made considerable progress toward that goal." "Hamas could have ended this on October 8th by not hiding behind civilians, by putting down its weapons, by surrendering, by releasing the hostages. None of the suffering would have happened if Hamas hadn't done what it did on October 7th....So it's very important to keep that in perspective."