美国国务卿安东尼布林肯周四描述了他审阅的描绘哈马斯对以色列平民发动恐怖袭击的受害者的可怕照片和视频。
“很难找到合适的词。这是任何人都想不到的，更不用说，上帝保佑，体验了，”他在以色列的新闻发布会上说。“一个婴儿，一个被子弹打得千疮百孔的婴儿。士兵被斩首。年轻人被活活烧死。我还可以继续说下去，但这是最糟糕的堕落方式。”
布林肯说，以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡和以色列政府在闭门会议中向他展示的这些照片，最终将确切展示以色列人民所面临的恐怖，并有助于通过“道德澄清”来团结起来
“所以，图像胜过千言万语。这些图像可能价值百万，”他断言道。
当被问及加沙的人道主义局势时，布林肯说，会谈是为了确保安全通行，但是他说，除了以色列的报复之外，还有其他因素危及平民。
“我认为最重要的是要记住一个使事情变得复杂的根本问题:哈马斯继续利用平民作为人盾。一些并不新鲜的事情，一些他们一直在做的事情，故意将平民置于危险的境地来保护他们自己，”他说。"所以这是以色列必须面对的基本事实之一."
“当然，平民不应以任何方式被用作军事行动的目标。他们不是以色列行动的目标。我们确实讨论了解决人道主义需求和生活在加沙的人们的方法，以保护他们免受伤害，同时以色列进行合法的安全行动来保护自己免受恐怖主义的袭击，并努力确保这种事情永远不再发生，”布林肯继续说。
国务卿周四早些时候告诉以色列，在以色列继续努力应对哈马斯恐怖分子的袭击时，美国将“永远在那里”支持以色列。
布林肯站在内塔尼亚胡旁边的讲台上说:“以色列人民长期以来一直为他们的自力更生，为他们捍卫自己的能力而自豪，即使形势对他们不利。”。“我带给以色列的信息是:你们可以靠自己的力量保护自己。但是只要美国还存在，你就永远，永远都不需要。我们会永远在你身边。”
在10月12日星期四晚上8:30的ABC新闻直播节目中，ABC新闻的詹姆斯·朗曼、马特·古特曼和伊恩·潘内尔关注哈马斯大屠杀造成的可怕伤亡，夹在中间的以色列人和巴勒斯坦人，以及接下来会发生什么。
布林肯说，美国已经提供了一些援助，更多的军事援助正在运送途中。他说，政府将与国会合作，以满足以色列的额外需求两党对以色列的支持是“势不可挡”
内塔尼亚胡告诉布林肯，他的访问是“美国明确支持以色列的又一个具体例子”，并用英语和希伯来语感谢国务卿。
内塔尼亚胡接着描述了哈马斯犯下的一些暴行。
“哈马斯已经证明自己是文明的敌人:在户外音乐节上屠杀年轻人，屠杀整个家庭，当着孩子的面谋杀父母，以及谋杀儿童在他们父母面前。活活烧死人。斩首，绑架一个小男孩——不仅仅是绑架——猥亵，伤害，攻击，以及令人作呕的庆祝这些恐怖的表演，对邪恶的庆祝和颂扬。拜登总统称这是“十足的邪恶”，这是绝对正确的。"
布林肯还表示，哈马斯的袭击“让人想起了伊斯兰国最糟糕的一面”，这与内塔尼亚胡的大部分言论相呼应。
“婴儿被屠杀。尸体被亵渎。年轻人被活活烧死。妇女被强奸。父母在孩子面前被处决，孩子在父母面前被处决。我们怎么理解这个，怎么消化这个?”他说。
“然而，与此同时，在我们被哈马斯的堕落所震惊的同时，我们也被以色列公民的勇敢所鼓舞。这位祖父开车一个多小时来到一个被围困的集体农场，只带了一把手枪，救出了他的孩子和孙子。这位母亲用自己的身体保护着她十几岁的儿子，牺牲了自己的生命去救他的儿子，给了他第二次生命。尽管寡不敌众，基比特兹上的志愿保安队迅速团结起来保护他们的朋友和邻居，”布林肯继续说。
这番话之后，布林肯听到了更多这样的话英雄事迹当他访问以色列的一个捐赠中心的时候。在掌声和“上帝保佑美国”的呼喊中，他放下了自己的捐款，以帮助失去一切的幸存者，并在人群的歌唱和欢呼中与志愿者交谈。
国务卿还与一名24岁的美国-以色列双重国籍公民Lior Gelbaum进行了交谈，她当时正与男友一起参加以色列南部音乐节，该音乐节遭到袭击，她现在正在该中心做志愿者。
她流着泪告诉布林肯，她的许多朋友都被杀害或被扣为人质。
“我们被奇迹拯救了，但是还有我们爱的朋友……”她说，然后拖走了。“谢谢你在这里。真的很重要。如果有任何方法可以帮助，第一优先，第一优先是我们仍然在加沙的朋友和家人。”
“我们为他们着想，尽我们所能。我们想把它们带回家，”布林肯回应道。“我佩服你的实力。”
另一名志愿者告诉布林肯，他刚刚参加完一位失去孩子的朋友的第四场葬礼，并表示所有的哀悼者都表示，在结束湿婆(犹太人的哀悼期)后，他们将重建这个国家。他谈到了美国和以色列之间的牢固关系，称他们拥有共同的自由价值观。
这名男子说，美国派出的航空母舰对以色列人民来说特别鼓舞人心，因为这是美国在以色列需要的时候支持它的一个重要标志。
白宫宣布的美国国家安全委员会(National Security Council)发言人约翰·柯比(John Kirby)指出，随着以色列继续在这场战斗中消耗弹药，美国政府“完全[预计]会有更多为以色列提供安全援助的请求。”
哈马斯发动突袭后，以色列至少1200人死亡，2900人受伤侵犯从空中，陆地和海上，以色列当局说。巴勒斯坦当局表示，在以色列国防军发动报复性空袭后，加沙至少有1100人死亡，另有5339人受伤。根据国家安全委员会发言人约翰·柯比的说法，也有27名美国人被证实死亡。
Blinken describes images of Hamas attack victims, pledges US support on trip to Israel
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday described gruesome photos and videos he reviewed depicting victims of Hamas' terrorist attack on Israeli civilians.
"It's hard to find the right words. It's beyond what anyone would ever want to imagine, much less, God forbid, experience," he said at a press conference in Israel. "A baby, an infant, riddled with bullets. Soldiers beheaded. Young people burned alive. I could go on, but it's simply depravity in the worst imaginable way."
Blinken said that the photos, shown to him behind closed doors by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government, would ultimately show exactly the horrors its people have confronted and serve to unify through "moral clarity."
"So, images are worth a thousand words. These images may be worth a million," he asserted.
Asked about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Blinken said talks were to secure safe passage, but he said there were factors beyond Israeli retaliation that imperiled civilians.
"I think it's first important to remember a fundamental issue that makes, makes this complicated: Hamas continues to use civilians as human shields. Something that's not new, something that they've always done, intentionally putting civilians in harm's way to protect themselves," he said. "So that's one of the basic facts that Israel has to deal with."
"And of course, civilians should not be used in any way as the targets of military operations. They are not the target of Israel's operations. We did discuss ways to address the humanitarian needs and people living in Gaza, to protect them from harm, while Israel conducts its legitimate security operations to defend itself from terrorism and to try to ensure that this never happens again," Blinken continued.
The secretary of state told Israel earlier on Thursday that the United States will "always be there" for the nation as it continues to grapple with the attack by Hamas terrorists.
"People of Israel have long and rightly prided themselves on their self-reliance, on their ability to defend themselves, even when the odds are stacked against them," Blinken said, standing at a podium next to Netanyahu. "The message that I bring to Israel is this: You may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself. But as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to. We will always be there by your side."
On ABC News Live at 8:30 pm on Thursday, Oct. 12, ABC News' James Longman, Matt Gutman and Ian Pannell look at the horrendous toll from Hamas' massacre, the Israelis and Palestinians caught in middle and what comes next.
Blinken remarked that some U.S. aid had already been delivered, and that more military aid was on his way. He said the administration would work with Congress to meet Israel's additional needs and thatbipartisan support for Israelwas "overwhelming."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu make statements to the media inside The Kirya, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defense, after their meeting in Tel Aviv, Oct. 12, 2023.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Netanyahu told Blinken that his visit is "another tangible example of America's unequivocal support for Israel" and thanked the secretary of state in both English and Hebrew.
Netanyahu then described some of the atrocities committed by Hamas.
"Hamas has shown itself to be an enemy of civilization: The massacring of young people in an outdoor music festival, the butchering of entire families, the murder of parents in front of their children and themurder of childrenin front of their parents. The burning of people alive. The beheadings, the kidnappings of a young boy -- not only kidnapped -- molested, hurt, attacked, and the sickening display of celebrating these horrors the celebration and glorification of evil," he said. "President Biden was absolutely correct in calling this 'sheer evil.'"
Blinken also said that Hamas' attacks "brought to mind the worst of ISIS," echoing much of what Netanyahu said.
"Babies slaughtered. Bodies desecrated. Young people burned alive. Women raped. Parents executed in front of their children, children in front of their parents. How are we even to understand this, to digest this?" he said.
"And yet, at the same time, the same time that we've been shocked by the depravity of Hamas, we've also been inspired by the bravery of Israel citizens. The grandfather, who drove over an hour to a kibbutz under siege, armed only with a pistol and rescued his kids and grandkids. The mother who died shielding her teenage son with her body, giving her life to save his -- giving him life for a second time. The volunteer security teams on the kibbitzes that swiftly rallied to defend their friends and neighbors, despite being heavily outnumbered," Blinken continued.
After the remarks, Blinken heard some more of thosestories of heroismfirsthand when he paid a visit to a donation center in Israel. Greeted by applause and cries of "God bless America," he dropped off his own contribution to benefit survivors who have lost everything and spoke with volunteers as the crowd sang and cheered.
The secretary also spoke with a 24-year-old American-Israeli dual citizen, Lior Gelbaum, who was attending the music festival is southern Israel that fell under attack with her boyfriend and is now volunteering at the center.
Through tears, she told Blinken that many of her friends had been killed or taken hostage.
"We were saved by miracle, but there are friends that we love..." she said before trailing off. "Thank you for being here. It's really important. And if there is any way to help, first priority, first priority is our friends and family that are still in Gaza."
"We're thinking of them and trying to do everything we can. We want to bring them home," Blinken responded. "I admire your strength."
Another volunteer told Blinken he had just come from the fourth funeral of a friend who lost a child and said all of the mourners had expressed that after concluding shiva -- the Jewish period of mourning -- they would rebuild the country. He remarked on the strong bond between the U.S. and Israel, saying they have a shared value of freedom.
The man said the aircraft carriers sent from the U.S. had been particularly inspiring to the Israeli people because it was a material sign of the U.S. standing behind the country in its time of need.
The White Houseannouncedon Monday that it had already begun sending munitions and military equipment to Israel, though John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, noted that the administration "fully [expects] there will be additional requests for security assistance for Israel as they continue to expend munitions in this fight."
At least 1,200 people have died and 2,900 others have been injured in Israel after Hamas launched a surpriseincursionfrom air, land and sea on Saturday, Israeli authorities said. Palestinian authorities said at least 1,100 people have died and another 5,339 have been injured in Gaza in the wake of retaliatory airstrikes launched by the Israel Defense Forces. Twenty-seven Americans have also been confirmed dead, according to National security council spokesman John Kirby.
