In his social media post commemorating 100 days of Israeli war, the US Secretary of State makes no mention of Palestinian deaths.
Palestine's mission to the United Nations has criticized US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for failing to mention some 24,000 Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip in his publication commemorating 100 days of Israel's war.
“What a shame for those who continue to be complicit and do not call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. “Shame on them,” the mission said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.
Blinken's social media post on Sunday night only referred to the captives taken by Hamas, saying that the United States has promised to bring them back as “100 days of captivity in Gaza is too long.”
100 days and not a single mention of the almost 24,000 dead, half of whom are children. Shame on those who remain complicit and do not call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. I am ashamed of them @POTUS @SecBlinken @USUN
— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) January 15, 2024
A total of 24,100 Palestinians – including more than 9,600 children – have been killed and some 61,000 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, the day Hamas launched a surprise attack inside Israeli territory.
Israeli authorities say Hamas fighters killed 1,139 people that day and took more than 200 captives, about 132 of whom remain in Gaza. On Sunday, a Reuters news agency report, citing Israeli officials, said at least 25 of them had died in captivity.
The other captives were exchanged during a week-long truce in November.
Even the White House statement marking the 100th day of the war in Gaza made no mention of Palestinian killings or the displacement of residents.
In the message, US President Joe Biden regretted the capture of the captives and stated that “during each of those 100 days, the hostages and their families have been at the forefront of my mind.”
Biden praised U.S. efforts to bring back the captives and blamed Hamas for not extending an agreement to return more of them.
Meanwhile, Israel's relentless bombardment of Gaza continues with no signs of abating, as the humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave deepens and threats of regional contagion of the war loom.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the war “will continue until victory” but faces domestic pressure to bring back the captives.
Global calls to end the war continue, with demonstrations held around the world and in the US capital recording one of the largest turnouts yet.
