US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on Wednesday from Israel – where he landed as part of his fifth tour of the region since the start of the aggression on Gaza – to take further steps to deliver aid to the war-torn sector.
Blinken said – after his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and prominent Israeli officials in Tel Aviv – “We must all commit to doing everything in our power to deliver the necessary aid to those who need it most, and the steps that are being taken and the additional steps that must be taken are the focus of my meetings.” here”.
Blinken continued, “I visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt, and I believe that there is a very positive future in which Israel integrates into the region, addresses its security concerns, and achieves the ambitions of the Palestinian people.”
Blinken expressed his hope of reaching an agreement to liberate prisoners held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the rest of the Palestinian factions, but Israeli media said that Netanyahu informed him that Israel would not end the war on Gaza before eliminating Hamas.
Hamas responded
Hamas had previously announced that it had submitted its response to the framework agreement that was formulated at the quadripartite meeting in Paris to both Qatar and Egypt after consulting the leaders of the movement and the resistance factions, indicating that it had dealt with the proposal in a “positive spirit” to ensure a comprehensive ceasefire and end the aggression.
“There is a lot of work to be done, but we are very focused on doing that, and we hope that we can resume the hostage release that has been halted,” Blinken said.
He added – during another meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog – “We are looking closely at Hamas’ response regarding the prisoner exchange proposal and a ceasefire in Gaza, and a lot of work still needs to be done.”
John Kirby, coordinator of strategic policies at the US National Security Council, said earlier, “What we are trying to do in the deal that is being worked on is to reach a long pause.”
On the other hand, the American news website Axios quoted a prominent Israeli official as saying that Blinken informed Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of the US administration’s “deep” concern about the expansion of military operations in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
Blinken and Abbas
After meeting with Netanyahu and holding an expanded meeting with the participation of Israeli security and military officials, Blinken headed to the West Bank, where he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah.
Anatolia Agency reported – citing an unnamed informed source in Abbas’s office – that Blinken “immediately held a meeting with the Palestinian President upon his arrival at the presidential headquarters,” while no Palestinian comment was immediately issued regarding the meeting.
It is noteworthy that the West Bank is the fifth stop on Blinken’s fifth tour of the region since last October 7, and his tour also included Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Israel, and will conclude tomorrow, Thursday.
