The United States has not seen the evidence that Israel says shows the presence of Hamas in the building bombed on Saturday

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, this Monday during a press conference in Copenhagen.SAUL LOEB / AFP

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has assured this Monday in Copenhagen, where he is on an official visit, that he has not seen evidence of the justification used by Israel - the presence of militiamen or Hamas material - to bomb the building in Gaza which housed several international media, and which was destroyed on Saturday by the impact of two missiles.

"The US has requested additional information" from Israel on the "justification" of the attack that reduced to rubble and dust the 12-story tower where the American news agency Associated Press (AP) and the Qatari television channel Al had their offices. Jazeera, among others, has said Blinken.

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"Shortly after the attack we asked [Israel] for additional details on the motives behind" the action, said Blinken, who claimed not to have seen alleged information shared by the Israeli authorities and therefore did not comment on the legitimacy of the attack.

The Jala Tower, which housed the AP and Al Jazeera headquarters and some 60 apartments, was called a "perfectly legitimate target" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a telephone conversation with President Joe Biden on Saturday.

Netanyahu also assured that these tests had been evaluated through intelligence channels.

"Israel has not presented evidence that the building [attacked] was being used by Hamas," said the Federation of Foreign Press (FPA) in Israel while demanding an official investigation, alluding to the argument of military spokesmen for justify the destruction of the Jala tower in Gaza, reports

Juan Carlos Sanz

.

While recalling the "intense behind-the-scenes diplomatic effort" undertaken by the US to end the violence, which this Monday entered its second week, Blinken again made clear Washington's support for his partner: "Israel has the right To defend itself, it cannot be equated with a terrorist group like Hamas, but as a democracy it has an additional burden [responsibility] to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties, ”the head of US diplomacy said at a press conference in Copenhagen. , from where he will travel to Reykjavik to participate in an Arctic Council meeting.

Blinken also urged Hamas to stop "immediately" the launch of missiles into Israeli territory. The fate of civilians is of particular concern to the US, he assured, as well as the risk to which medical personnel and journalists working in the Strip are subjected. "Palestinians and Israelis have the right to live in peace and security," added without leaving the White House script the US Foreign Minister, who has maintained contacts in the last hours with relevant actors in the conflict to try to reach a halt. fire.

The US diplomatic doubts, and its "unwavering support" for Israel, prevented the adoption of a common statement at the UN Security Council meeting held this Sunday, while the chorus of voices demanding Biden grows in the Democratic ranks. greater involvement in the conflict. The president, however, resists the pressure of his co-religionists without departing one millimeter from the official message: unwavering support "for the right to security and defense of Israel," call on Hamas to stop firing rockets and pleas for the safety of civilians.

The Biden Administration, whose foreign policy roadmap sought to edge the Middle East and Afghanistan conflicts to focus on China, has so far refused to criticize Israel's military actions or send a high-level emissary. The

on-site

mediation

has fallen to the State Department's undersecretary for Palestinian and Israeli Affairs, Hady Amro, who arrived in Israel on Friday and whose efforts do not seem to have borne fruit so far. In parallel, Washington orchestrates with Egypt, Qatar and Jordan a multi-party diplomatic initiative to achieve a truce in hostilities.