Blinken says Hamas attack on Israel is like ‘TEN 9/11s’ after Netanyahu showed him photos of ‘pure evil’

Antony Blinken explained that the sheer scale and devastation of the Hamas attack on Israel equates to the small Jewish state experiencing the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 10 times over.

The US Secretary of State was somber as he recounted the images he saw of the “evil” perpetrated against the Israeli people by Palestinian terrorists during a press conference in Tel Aviv on Thursday.

During the meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken was shown grueling images of the terror facing the people of Israel after five days of conflict with Hamas terrorists.

“I could speculate, but I’m not going to give you any kind of clear definitive answer,” Blinken said when asked if the Palestinian terrorists had achieved their goals with the weekend invasion. “There are various possible explanations – we haven’t heard from (Hamas) what their goals are.”

He concluded: “In many ways, the simplest explanation can be the most compelling – this is pure evil.”

Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken said on Thursday that Hamas’ atrocities in Israel were equivalent to ten terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

So far, 27 Americans have been confirmed dead in Israel, as well as 1,200 Israelis. There are still thousands missing, and hundreds of Israelis are believed to be held hostage in Gaza, as well as a “handful” of Americans

The images Blinken showed include bullet-riddled bodies of babies, people burning alive in their cars or on the side of roads, and soldiers decapitated.

Many of these images and videos have been shared on social media.

“This is a moment for moral clarity,” Blinken said during his press conference. “This is a moment where everyone needs to make it clear that there is revulsion, disgust, determination — determination not to allow this to go forward.”

‘So pictures are worth 1000 words, these pictures might be worth a million.’

Shortly after the news conference, reporters pressed National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby during a White House briefing on how the administration is working to confirm the authenticity of these images.

Hamas’s inhumane violence has been equated with the 9/11 terror attacks – but Blinken, who is Jewish, says that doesn’t go far enough to explain the extent of the damage.

“We’re saying this in relation to 9/11 — if you look at it in proportion to the size of Israel’s population, that’s the equivalent of ten 9/11s,” the head of the State Department explained. “That’s how big and how devastating this attack was.”

Blinken reiterated that Israel is not targeting civilians – but Hamas terrorists.

“I think it’s important first for another fundamental issue that makes it complicated – Hamas continues to use civilians as human shields,” Blinken said when a reporter asked if any humanitarian work was being done in Gaza where Palestinian civilians are caught in the counter-attacks by Israel. .

He added: “This is something that is not new, something that they have always done deliberately – putting civilians at risk to try to protect themselves or to protect their infrastructure or to protect their weapons.”

During a somber press briefing in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday, Blinken said of Hamas’ motivations and goals: “In many ways, the simplest explanation may be the most compelling – this is pure evil.”

“So this is one of the key facts that Israel has to deal with,” Blinken said. “And of course, civilians should not be used in any way as targets of military operations. It is not a target of Israel’s operations.’

National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby revealed Thursday that the number of Americans killed by Hamas terrorists in Israel has now reached 27.

The Israeli, Palestinian and American death toll continues to rise five days after Hamas attacked the Jewish state. But Kirby assured that only a “handful” of Americans are currently believed to be being held hostage in Gaza.

Gaza-based Hamas terrorists entered Israel for the first time on Saturday in a surprise multi-pronged attack that left at least 1,200 Israelis dead in less than a week – on par with 9/11 multiples. Thousands more are injured and there are still hostages being held in Palestinian territory.

Arriving in Tel Aviv, Israel on Thursday morning, Blinken revealed that at least 25 Americans had been killed in the Hamas attacks.

Later in the day, two more were confirmed dead by Kirby during the White House press briefing.