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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered one of his most unequivocal condemnations of the civilian death toll in Gaza amid the ongoing war with Israel, saying "far too many Palestinians have been killed."
Blinken said that he, along with his Indian counterparts, discussed the crisis in the Middle East and that the US "appreciated the fact that, from day one, India strongly condemned the attacks of October 7th". "Far too many have suffered these past weeks," Blinken added while emphasising the urgent need for additional efforts to "minimise harm to Palestinian civilians." His remarks came at a press briefing in the national capital on Friday following the 5th 2+2 India-US Ministerial Meet. Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin were in New Delhi to attend the ministerial meeting along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Noting the "horrific terrorist attack" against Israel by Hamas, India and the US reiterated on Friday that both countries stand with Israel against terrorism and further called for adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians. The India-US joint statement after the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue called for the immediate release of all remaining hostages. Simultaneously, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced a six-hour window on Friday, designating an evacuation corridor along Salah Eddin Street. This corridor aims to facilitate the safe passage of people fleeing south from northern Gaza. The IDF's measure is a response to the escalating humanitarian crisis in the region, providing a temporary respite for civilians caught in the crossfire. In response to a question on India and Canada, Blinken said, "These are two of our closest friends and partners, and we want to see them resolving any differences or disputes that they have as friends of both." "It's very important that India work with Canada on its investigation and that they find a way to resolve this difference in a cooperative way. But that really does go with Canada moving its investigation forward and India working with Canada on it," he added. Today marks the last day of a nine-day trip of intensive diplomacy throughout the Middle East and now here in the Indo-Pacific, a statement of US State Department said. (ANI)
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