‘Criminal’: Journalist Sam Husseini thrown out of Blinken’s PC over Gaza question

As Husseini criticised the handling of the conflict, the State Department briefing room scene escalated when security personnel forcibly removed him. “You’re hurting me,” Husseini said as they carried him out.

Max Blumenthal, editor of The Grayzone, a publication critical of various aspects of US foreign policy, confronted Blinken with the question, “Why did you keep the bombs flowing when we had a deal in May?” before he too was escorted out.

Later, Blumenthal shared a clip of the exchange on X, captioning it, “My final words for Tony Blinken, Secretary of Genocide, and his smirking press secretary, Matt Miller.”

Blinken, who is set to leave office on Monday as the administration of President-elect Donald Trump succeeds that of Joe Biden, remained composed, urging journalists to “respect the process.”

Israel-Hamas truce

The truce between Israel and Hamas, brokered by mediators Qatar and the United States on Wednesday, is set to commence on Sunday. The agreement includes the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, followed by negotiations to finalise terms for a permanent end to the conflict.

The war in the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages. Since then, Blinken has faced criticism for providing Israel with weapons and diplomatic backing.

Israel’s military operations in Gaza have resulted in over 46,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s health ministry. These actions have led to accusations of genocide, with South Africa bringing a case before the World Court, as well as allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court. Israel has denied all such claims.