Blinken: Death, destruction in northern Gaza cannot be repeated in southern Gaza
At a news conference in Israel on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that "Israel has the right to do everything it can to ensure that the slaughter Hamas carried out on Oct. 7 can never be repeated."
"Hamas cannot remain in control of Gaza," Blinken said, but he reiterated Israel’s obligation to minimize civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.
He said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Netanyahu's war cabinet that it's imperative that "the massive loss of civilian life and displacement of the scale that we saw in northern Gaza not be repeated in [southern Gaza]."
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"We made clear the imperative that before any operations go forward in southern Gaza, that there'd be a clear plan in place that puts a premium on protecting civilians, as well as sustaining and building on the humanitarian assistance that's getting into Gaza," Blinken said. "And the Israeli government agrees with that approach.”
-ABC News' Nate Luna