Blinken cautions Israel against strike on Gaza civilians; shaken by images of atrocities

Israel’s military on Thursday ramped up its promised campaign of retaliation for last weekend’s murderous rampage by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, leveling entire neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip, massing troops for a possible ground operation against the Hamas stronghold, and vowing that a punishing blockage of the densely populated Palestinian enclave would continue until the 100-plus Israeli and foreign hostages are freed.

A somber Secretary of State Antony Blinken, clearly shaken by images he saw on a visit to Jerusalem of Hamas atrocities across southern Israel, promised strong support for Israel but cautioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israeli forces must minimize the collateral damage to civilians from the operation.

Mr. Blinken reiterated Washington’s “ironclad support” for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas’ terrorist attacks. But he also sounded a note of caution for Israel to minimize the threat to civilians as it pursues the Hamas militants who poured over the border from Gaza on Saturday and killed at least 1,200 civilians, soldiers and foreign nationals. It was the deadliest day for the Jewish state in decades.

“The people of Israel have long and rightly prided themselves on their self-reliance — on their ability to defend themselves even when the odds are stacked against them,” he said. “The message I bring to Israel is this: You may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself, but as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to. We will always be there by your side.”

The secretary of state, who said his Jewish heritage gave him a window of understanding into the suffering, had already seen some images and videos of the horror visited on Israelis in the rampage. Still, he was clearly affected by new images shared by Mr. Netanyahu.

“A baby, an infant, riddled with bullets. Soldiers beheaded. Young people burned alive in their cars. … I could go on, but it’s simply depravity in the worst imaginable way,” Mr. Blinken said.

Mr. Blinken noted, “The value that we place on human life and human dignity, that’s what makes us who we are. That’s why it’s important to take every possible precaution to prevent harming civilians.”

Further underscoring U.S. support, the Pentagon announced that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would travel to Israel on Friday for more talks with Mr. Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The Pentagon, Mr. Austin told reporters in Brussels while attending a NATO summit, is “working urgently to get Israel what it needs to defend itself, including munitions and our Iron Dome interceptor interceptors.”

The Israeli leader said the visit from America’s top diplomat was an example of the country’s unequivocal support. Israel has vowed retribution after swarms of Hamas fighters stormed through Israel’s barrier fence and attacked residents of nearby Israeli villages. Graphic video of atrocities committed by the Hamas forces has inflamed public opinion in Israel and around the world.

He said Hamas’ actions have shown the organization to be an “enemy of civilization.”

“They should be spit out from the community of nations. Just as ISIS was crushed, so too will Hamas be crushed,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “There will be many difficult days ahead, but I have no doubt that the forces of civilization will win.”

Fears for civilians

Whether the Biden administration’s and the United Nations’ calls for restraint will be heeded was an open question as the Gaza operation gathered force. In the latest casualty counts, Israel says it has lost at least 1,300 civilians, soldiers and foreign nationals, while Gaza’s health ministry said 1,537 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli reprisal attacks.

The number of Americans confirmed dead in the Hamas attack rose to 27 Thursday, with 14 U.S. citizens unaccounted for, the White House said.

Hamas officials, who issued a call for a global “Day of Rage” Friday to “mobilize for jihad” against Israel and its supporters, have shown no signs of returning the estimated 150 Israeli and foreign hostages seized in Saturday’s lightning attack.

Israel’s top general, in his first public comments on the fighting, acknowledged that military and intelligence lapses were partly to blame for the failure to head off the devastating, surprise Hamas assault.

“This past Saturday morning in the area near the Gaza Strip, we did not achieve this,” said Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff for the Israel Defense Forces. “We will learn and analyze what happened, but now is a time of war. 

Top Hamas officials, the general added, are “dead men walking. We will strike them, break them, and dismantle their system. The fighting spirit of the IDF strikes Gaza with full force. We will not stop here. There is decisiveness [and] there is fury.”

Israeli officials made clear that they won’t let up their economic chokehold on the Gaza Strip as long as the country’s citizens continue to be held hostage by Hamas kidnappers.

Humanitarian groups have pressed for Gaza citizens to be allowed to leave the area, but the Israeli government made clear that freeing the unprecedented number of hostages was its first priority.

“No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home,” Israel Katz, the country’s energy minister, said on social media. “Humanitarian for humanitarian — and no one will preach us morals.”

The Associated Press reported that fully 15% of Gaza’s population — about 340,000 people — had fled their homes in targeted strike zones by Wednesday night. They either moved in with relatives or stayed at crowded U.N.-run schools.

Israeli officials say they have identified nearly 100 of the captives, a group that includes women, children and the elderly. The U.S. and other governments have said their citizens are also among those being held by Hamas, which has threatened to begin executing hostages if Israel launches surprise bombing attacks on Palestinian civilian targets.

Fallout from the fighting

There were fresh signs Thursday that the Israeli-Hamas clash was likely to have security and diplomatic reverberations far beyond the Gaza Strip.

Mr. Blinken was following up his Israeli visit with a stop in Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II and with Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas before going on to visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met on Thursday with senior administration officials to discuss efforts to safeguard the U.S., including Jewish, Arab and Muslim communities, AP reported.

Syrian officials said Israeli fighter jets had simultaneously struck the country’s two major airports in Damascus and Aleppo, temporarily shutting down operations. It was not clear whether the strikes were related to the Hamas operation, but Israelis have been anxiously monitoring the tense border areas with Syria and Lebanon for fear militia groups there may try to escalate the fighting.

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran ramped up after reports the Biden administration has put a fresh hold on some $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue funds deposited in a Qatari bank, money recently freed from U.S. sanctions as part of a controversial prisoner swap deal between Washington and Tehran last month.

With Iran long a prime financial and military backer of Hamas, Lebanon-based Hezbollah and other militant anti-Israel movements, Mr. Biden had been under intense pressure from Congress to block Iran’s access to the money, even though U.S. officials say it appears Iranian leaders did not help plan or know of the plan by Hamas to launch Saturday’s attack.

Mr. Blinken and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby refused to confirm reports that a freeze had been reimposed but suggested that, in practical terms, Tehran was not getting any of its money in the present environment.

Mr. Blinken said in Jerusalem that Iran had been unable to withdraw a single dollar from the account, which U.S. officials say is strictly limited to the purchase of humanitarian aid.

“We have strict oversight of the funds and we retain the right to freeze them,” he said.

Critics of Mr. Biden’s original agreement say that money is fungible and the deal frees up Tehran to use other funds to build up its military or to continue funding allies such as Hamas or Hezbollah.

Iran’s theocratic leadership has praised the Hamas uprising and condemned Israel’s response but has insisted it had no prior knowledge of the militant attack.

Iran’s U.N. mission said the money in the Qatar accounts belongs to Tehran and that the U.S. government cannot “renege on the agreement.”

Separately, the Biden administration joined other foreign governments in arranging flights for their citizens seeking to leave Israel. Mr. Kirby told reporters that the U.S. government is offering charter flights to European cities for Americans seeking to leave.

As U.S. citizens leave, U.S. weaponry is arriving.

The Biden administration has stepped up its flow of armaments to Israel after the Hamas attack. Mr. Austin, speaking to reporters at a NATO meeting in Brussels, said the U.S. was not putting any conditions on how Israel uses the American weaponry.

“This is a professional military, led by professional leadership, and we would hope and expect that they would do the right thing in the prosecution of their campaign,” Mr. Austin said.

• Guy Taylor and Jeff Mordock contributed to this story, which is based in part on wire service reports.