The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has rejected US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s claims that members of Hamas hide behind civilians in the Gaza Strip, saying the claims are an attempt to justify Israel’s crimes of genocide against Palestinians in the besieged enclave.
The resistance group made the remarks in a statement on Wednesday, a day after Blinken reiterated Washington’s support for the Israeli regime’s aggression against Gazans.
Hamas went on to say that these remarks are “miserable attempts” to wash the hands of the occupying regime of the blood of the people in Gaza, adding that they reflect the extent of US involvement in these crimes and the widespread violations of all international laws committed by the Israeli military in the blockaded territory.
The resistance group further noted that it rejects “the fallacies and misleading narrative” that Blinken still insists on repeating, 96 days after Israel started its brutal war against Gaza and it is still continuing its assault with the full support of Biden’s administration.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Blinken said the US continued to stand with Israel in its mission to “ensure that October 7 never happens again”
He went on to say that “facing an enemy that embeds itself among civilians – who hides in and fires from schools, from hospitals – makes this incredibly challenging.”
Blinken further noted that the war could “have ended on October 8” if Hamas had given up its weapons and released Israeli captives.
The US diplomat also stated that South Africa’s recent genocide charge against Israel is “meritless.” However, he said, the daily toll on civilians in Gaza, particularly on children, is far too high.
Blinken also said the US is focused on bringing the remaining Israeli captives home, addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, avoiding further civilian losses, and preventing the conflict from spreading in the region.
The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians.
Since the start of the aggression, Israel has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Nearly 59,000 Palestinians have also been wounded.
The Tel Aviv regime has imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.
