Blinken on Israel trip: "Discussing minimizing civilian casualties... also exploring solutions involving both countries"

White House "Seeking Temporary, Localized Ceasefire"

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken announced on the 2nd (local time) as he departed for Israel that a key purpose of this visit is to reduce civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip. He will also discuss ways to realize the 'two-state solution,' a peace model between Israel and Palestine.

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At Andrews Joint Base near Washington DC, Secretary Blinken told reporters, "We plan to discuss specific measures that can and should be taken to minimize harm to men, women, and children in Gaza."

This trip to Israel marks Blinken's third visit since the war broke out on the 7th of last month, following visits on the 11th and 16th.

He said, "We have recently seen Palestinian civilians bear the brunt of this action," referring to Israel's military operations. He added, "The United States is making every effort to do everything possible to protect civilians."

At the same time, he stated, "Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself and to act to ensure that such events never happen again," adding, "No country, including the United States, will tolerate the massacre of its own civilians."

During talks with the governments of Israel and Jordan on this visit, he said they will also explore ways to realize the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. The Biden administration has supported the two-state solution, envisioning an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank coexisting peacefully with Israel.

He emphasized, "We will discuss ways to create the environment necessary to build lasting and sustainable peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians," adding, "While we are focused on today’s conflict, we must also focus on tomorrow, after the conflict." He further stated, "We believe this is the best, and perhaps the only, way to guarantee a safe and democratic Jewish Israel and a Palestinian state that Palestinians deserve."

Additionally, Secretary Blinken said he will discuss measures to prevent escalation with Israel and regional partners.

Meanwhile, the White House stated that it is seeking a localized ceasefire rather than a full ceasefire to address humanitarian issues in the Gaza Strip.

John Kirby, White House National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, said in a briefing on the 2nd (local time), "When we talk about a humanitarian pause, we mean a temporary, localized cessation of hostilities for a limited time for specific objectives," adding, "We are exploring the idea of pausing hostilities as long as necessary to provide aid to Gaza and to safely evacuate hostages and others."

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they have completed the encirclement of Gaza City, a key area in the Gaza Strip, and are conducting military operations. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in an evening briefing, "Our forces are attacking Hamas outposts, headquarters, launch sites, and infrastructure," adding, "We are eliminating terrorists in close combat."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.