A day after the extension of the ceasefire and against the backdrop of Israel's preparations for the next phase of the fighting, a senior American official told Reuters news agency today (Tuesday) that the US asked Israel to limit the evacuation and displacement of residents of the southern Gaza Strip from their homes, as it did in the north in the first weeks of the war.
According to the official, "This is a request from President Biden and the ranks under him. We emphasized this message clearly to the Israeli government - it is very important that the conduct of the campaign, if it moves to the south, will be different and will work to prevent the displacement of citizens as much as possible."
He also warned that "we will not be able to accept displacement in the south as it was in the north. This would be a widespread disruption and beyond the capabilities of any humanitarian aid system. This cannot happen."
The American official's words come ahead of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's visit to Israel, which will be his fourth visit to the region since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip on October 7. Blinken will arrive in Israel at the end of a diplomatic visit to Belgium that started yesterday, while tomorrow he will make his way to North Macedonia and from there he will fly to Israel.
According to the White House announcement, Blinken is expected to meet with senior government officials and "discuss with them Israel's right to defend itself, in accordance with international humanitarian law. In addition, Blinken will continue efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages, in protecting the lives of civilians in Gaza during Israel's activities in the Gaza Strip, and in increasing humanitarian aid to the citizens of the Gaza Strip."
It was also said that Blinken will discuss with the Israeli officials the plans for the day after the war in Gaza, according to which the Secretary of State "will discuss the principles outlined in his speech in Tokyo on November 8, including the promotion of tangible steps to promote the establishment of a future Palestinian state, and the need to prevent the expansion of the conflict."
