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Added on the 28/04/2022 21:46:53 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
Aid trucks enter Rafah as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visit Egypt's border with Gaza, after Israel vowed to send its troops to fight Hamas in the nearby city of Rafah, even without United States support. IMAGES
The heads of state and government of the 27 member countries of the European Union meet for an EU Council summit in Brussels, with Antonio Guterres attending in his capacity as Secretary General of the United Nations. While the bloc's response to the conflict in Ukraine is set to dominate the summit, EU leaders are also looking for a united stance on the war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. IMAGES
Protecting and aiding civilians must be "job number one" for Israel in the war-battered Gaza Strip, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says. "We look to the government of Israel to make sure that this is a priority. Protecting civilians, getting people the assistance they need, that has to be job number one, even as they do what is necessary to defend the country to deal with the threat posed by Hamas," Blinken tells reporters during a press conference in Washington, DC. SOUNDBITE
The United States says it does not consider Israel's deadly hostage rescue operation in Rafah to be a full-scale operation and still opposes an offensive without a plan to protect civilians. "Without such a plan that is credible, and that they can execute, we do not support a full-scale military operation," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller tells reporters. SOUNDBITE
Antony Blinken called Wednesday on Israel to prioritise civilians in Gaza's Rafah, but stopped short of urging against military action in the packed Palestinian city. The US Secretary of State also warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government against actions and talk that raise tensions. "I also raised our profound concerns about actions and rhetoric, including from government officials, that inflame tensions that undercut international support and place greater restraints on Israel's security," Blinken told reporters at a press conference in Tel Aviv. SOUNDBITE
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