Palestinians must be able to stay in Gaza – Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Palestinians should not be pressured to leave Gaza, and should be allowed to return to their homes as soon as conditions allow.

Blinken condemned the statements of some Israeli ministers, who called for the resettlement of Palestinians in other places.

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

His comments came after reports that up to 70 people were killed in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

Footage from Jabalia showed bodies lying under the rubble of a destroyed building, many of them women and children.

An IDF spokesman told the BBC that it “acted against a military target in the raid” and that it was “not aware of the number of casualties mentioned.”

“In response to Hamas’ brutal attacks, the IDF is working to dismantle Hamas’ military and administrative capabilities,” they said, adding that the IDF “follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate harm to civilians.”

More than 60 Palestinians were also reportedly killed in the past day in the southern city of Khan Yunis.

Jabalia camp has been bombed several times since Israel began its war against Hamas following the unprecedented attack launched by Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7.

About 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians, and about 240 others were taken hostage in Hamas raids.

More than 22,000 people, most of them women and children, were killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. It was reported that at least 113 people were killed within 24 hours of the Israeli bombing.

“Palestinian civilians must be able to return to their homes as soon as conditions allow,” Blinken said on Sunday. “They cannot and should not be pressured to leave Gaza.”

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on Palestinians to leave Gaza and make way for Israelis who can “make the desert flourish.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, another far-right politician, this week issued a call to “encourage the migration of Gaza residents” as a “solution” to the crisis.

The Israeli government's official line is that Gazans will eventually be able to return to their homes, although it has not yet determined how and when that will be possible.

Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. Health officials said even medical facilities including hospitals are now unsafe.

Three international medical aid organizations announced that they had withdrawn from Al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip after Israel issued evacuation orders.

A representative of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told BBC World's NewsHour program that they were “deeply concerned by this development.”

“What this means is that a hospital that was already overwhelmed, overcrowded and well beyond capacity is now without crucial reinforcements to support it as it deals with an increasing number of casualties,” Gemma Connell said.

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that more than 600 patients and health workers had to leave the hospital, according to its director.

“Their locations are currently unknown,” Tedros said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Blinken's recent visit to the Middle East comes amid escalating tensions in the region, with fears of the possible spread of war in Gaza.

Saleh Al-Arouri, a senior Hamas official, was assassinated in a suspected Israeli attack in southern Beirut on Tuesday along with six others – two Hamas military commanders and four other members.

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed movement in Lebanon, described Al-Arouri’s assassination as “blatant Israeli aggression” that will not go unpunished.

Hezbollah then fired missiles at Israel on Saturday as an “initial response” to Al-Arouri’s killing.

“This is a moment of deep tension in the region,” Blinken said. “This is a conflict that could easily spread, causing more insecurity and more suffering.”

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said that Al-Arouri's killing affected the “complex operation.”

He added that “a very large number of innocent Palestinian men, women and children” were killed in the war.

Blinken arrived in Qatar after stopping in Jordan, Turkey and Greece. He flew to Abu Dhabi late on Sunday, and is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday.