Blinken: Palestinians must be allowed to stay in Gaza

(Patria) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Palestinians must not be pressured to leave Gaza and must be allowed to return to their homes when conditions permit, the BBC reported.

Blinken condemned statements by some Israeli ministers who called for the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza.

The US official was in Qatar on his latest tour of the Middle East.

He spoke as the siege of Gaza entered its fourth month. More than 22,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. At least 113 deaths occurred in the last 24 hours in Israeli bombardment.

The latest war was triggered by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and about 240 taken hostage.

"Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow," Blinken said. "They cannot, they must not be pressured to leave Gaza," he added.

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on Palestinians to leave Gaza and make way for Israelis who could "make the desert bloom."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir this week called for "encouraging the migration of Gaza residents" as a "solution" to the crisis.

The official Israeli government position is that Gaza residents will eventually be able to return to their homes, although it has yet to specify how and when this will be possible.