U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Saturday for protecting civilians in the Gaza Strip and Israel as the Israeli military ordered half of the Palestinian territory's population to evacuate in advance of an expected ground assault.Blinken met with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan as America's top diplomat held a third day of talks across the Mideast aimed at preventing the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a regional conflict and worsening the humanitarian crisis.Both officials stressed the importance of minimizing the harm to civilians as Israel prepared for an anticipated incursion against Hamas a week after the militant group's unprecedented attack against Israel.“As Israel pursues its legitimate right, to defending its people and to trying to ensure that this never happens again, it is vitally important that all of us look out for civilians, and we're working together to do exactly that,” Blinken said before heading to the United Arab Emirates for further discussions."None of us want to see suffering by civilians on any side, whether it's in Israel, whether it's in Gaza, whether it's anywhere else," Blinken said.Egypt, Israel, and the United States have reached an agreement to permit foreigners in Gaza to cross the Rafah border into Egypt, according to a senior Egyptian official. Israel has committed to avoiding strikes in areas where these individuals would pass through while leaving the besieged Palestinian territory. Qatar played a role in the negotiations, and the agreement received approval from Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.Earlier Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas as the Army prepares for an expected ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu delivered the threat in a nationally televised address late Friday (October 14). Israel has been pounding Gaza with airstrikes since Hamas militants carried out an unprecedented cross-border attack last Saturday, killing over 1,300 people in a brutal rampage. Early Friday, Israel ordered half of Gaza's population to evacuate their homes. “This is just the beginning,” Netanyahu said. “We will end this war stronger than ever.” “We will destroy Hamas,” he added, saying Israel has widespread international support for the operation. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has said Hamas is worse than al-Qaeda."The more we learned about the attack, the more horrifying it becomes. More than 1,000 innocent lives lost, including at least 27 Americans," Biden said.Scroll down for more updates
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Saturday for protecting civilians in the Gaza Strip and Israel as the Israeli military ordered half of the Palestinian territory's population to evacuate in advance of an expected ground assault.Blinken met with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan as America's top diplomat held a third day of talks across the Mideast aimed at preventing the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a regional conflict and worsening the humanitarian crisis.Both officials stressed the importance of minimizing the harm to civilians as Israel prepared for an anticipated incursion against Hamas a week after the militant group's unprecedented attack against Israel.“As Israel pursues its legitimate right, to defending its people and to trying to ensure that this never happens again, it is vitally important that all of us look out for civilians, and we're working together to do exactly that,” Blinken said before heading to the United Arab Emirates for further discussions."None of us want to see suffering by civilians on any side, whether it's in Israel, whether it's in Gaza, whether it's anywhere else," Blinken said.Egypt, Israel, and the United States have reached an agreement to permit foreigners in Gaza to cross the Rafah border into Egypt, according to a senior Egyptian official. Israel has committed to avoiding strikes in areas where these individuals would pass through while leaving the besieged Palestinian territory. Qatar played a role in the negotiations, and the agreement received approval from Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.Earlier Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas as the Army prepares for an expected ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu delivered the threat in a nationally televised address late Friday (October 14). Israel has been pounding Gaza with airstrikes since Hamas militants carried out an unprecedented cross-border attack last Saturday, killing over 1,300 people in a brutal rampage. Early Friday, Israel ordered half of Gaza's population to evacuate their homes. “This is just the beginning,” Netanyahu said. “We will end this war stronger than ever.” “We will destroy Hamas,” he added, saying Israel has widespread international support for the operation. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has said Hamas is worse than al-Qaeda."The more we learned about the attack, the more horrifying it becomes. More than 1,000 innocent lives lost, including at least 27 Americans," Biden said.Scroll down for more updates