Secretary Antony J. Blinken has expressed his belief that Israel is capable of taking the necessary precautions to protect civilians in Gaza as it continues its conflict with Hamas. This statement was made during a CNN interview.

According to a news release from the U.S. Department of State (DOS), the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has ended, and warfare has resumed. The focus now lies on the hostages that are still being held by Hamas.

Blinken provided some context, stating, "First, we’ve got to put this in perspective. What happened on October 7 is something I’ve never seen in the 30 years that I’ve been doing this professionally, and for that matter, the 50 years or so that I’ve been going to Israel in one way or another. Children executed in front of their parents. Parents executed in front of their children. Families burned alive." He went on to detail further atrocities, before explaining how the terrorist group Hamas had retreated to Gaza and intentionally embedded itself among civilians.

The DOS media release also queried whether the Biden administration was doing enough to ensure the release of American hostages held by Hamas. In response, Blinken said: "I can’t get into the details because this is literally going on daily and even more than daily, sometimes even hourly, trying to find a way, an angle to get this – to get this restarted." He emphasized that these were not just numbers but real people whose lives have been upended.