Blinken Describes the Situation in Gaza Following Israeli Attacks on Rafah as 'Severe'

Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, acknowledged that despite U.S. efforts to transfer more aid, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains 'severe' as Israeli attacks on the city of Rafah continue. Samantha Power, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development managing humanitarian aid, quoted aid workers on Thursday stating, 'The situation for people in Gaza is now worse than before.' On Friday, Blinken responded to reporters' questions in Prague regarding Power's statements, saying, 'The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. We have seen positive changes, but these changes have not yet resulted in real and practical outcomes.' The U.S. Secretary of State added that the number of trucks carrying humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip has increased, but the distribution of aid in the region remains difficult. He referred to Israeli operations in Rafah and the seizure of the narrow border strip of Gaza with Egypt, which has resulted in the closure of the Rafah border crossing, the only land border of Gaza not controlled by Israel. Blinken stated, 'We are measuring not only the volume of aid entering but also its impact. And yes, it is true. The impact of this aid in terms of addressing the urgent needs of children, women, and men living in the Gaza Strip is insufficient.' Israel has seized the entire border of Gaza with Egypt. Despite repeated warnings from the U.S. government and President Joe Biden, Israel began its attacks on Rafah about three weeks ago. However, the White House claims the scope and intensity of these attacks are more limited compared to a large-scale operation that it deemed unacceptable. The U.S. military constructed a floating dock at a cost of at least $320 million on the Gaza coast in recent months. However, shortly after the dock began operations, it was damaged due to adverse weather conditions, halting aid transfers through it. Meanwhile, the Israeli army confirmed on Friday that its forces have increased military operations in southern Gaza by entering the central part of Rafah. The Israeli army's statement mentioned that its military is conducting operations in most parts of Rafah, whereas initially, they were more active in the east and areas near the Egyptian border. On the first day of operations in this city, the Israeli army took control of the Rafah crossing, one of the main routes for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, and also seized the Philadelphi route along the Gaza-Egypt border. According to the Israeli army's statement on Friday, its soldiers discovered rocket launchers belonging to the extremist group Hamas in central Rafah and destroyed a weapons cache. The exact location of the new operations has not been specified, but the Associated Press reported that based on previous statements and eyewitness accounts, the Shabura refugee camp and other neighborhoods in the city center have been attacked by Israel. The war in the Gaza Strip began in response to a surprise attack by Hamas and other Palestinian groups on Israeli territory on October 7. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union. According to Israeli government statistics, around 1,200 Israelis, most of whom were civilians, were killed in the attacks on October 7, and about 240 were taken hostage. The Gaza Health Ministry, controlled by Hamas, claims that since the beginning of Israeli attacks, over 36,000 Palestinians, most of whom were civilians, have been killed.