Israel can investigate itself because it's a democracy, Blinken says

Asked by a reporter at his final press conference on Thursday if the US takes Israel's potential violations of international law seriously, Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded that Israel can investigate itself because it is a democracy.

"In Gaza, we face the challenging situation in trying to make final determinations, because uniquely in Gaza, besides having a population that's been trapped there... you have an enemy that embeds itself in and among civilians, houses, hospitals, mosques, schools," Blinken said of Hamas - a talking point that has in large parts been debunked as Israeli raids on Gaza's hospitals uncovered little to no evidence. 

"Getting a clear picture and a clear understanding of whether any one incident in that context constitutes a violation of international law in one way or another is incredibly complicated, especially in real-time," he added. 

"So we continue to gather the information, we continue to assess it. If we have any conclusions that we can draw over time remains, we will. I also point out that in Israel itself, there are hundreds of cases that are being investigated. They have a process, they have procedures, they have rule of law, and we also look to them to carry out that process, to carry out the rule of law themselves. That's the hallmark of any democracy," he said.