Hamas has been presented with an “extraordinarily generous” offer by Israel that he hoped the group would accept, he said.
Even without a deal, Blinken said it was critical to improve conditions in Gaza now.
We still need to get more aid in and around Gaza,” he said.
He said safety for humanitarian relief workers must be improved and that there’s a focus on ensuring the aid is making a proper impact for Palestinian civilians.
World Central Kitchen said it would resume operations in Gaza on Monday after a four-week suspension.
Blinken, who also is meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, has his work cut out for him.
The war in Gaza has ground on with little end in sight: More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, hundreds of thousands more are displaced and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening.
During his trip, Blinken said he would also underscore the absolute importance of not allowing the Israel-Hamas conflict to engulf the region.
AP, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — U. s. Declaring on Monday that Israel still needs to do more to improve the flow of humanitarian supplies into the besieged Gaza Strip, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he would press Israeli leaders on the issue during his seventh trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October.
Speaking at events in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Blinken stated that reaching an elusive cease-fire agreement that would also free Israeli hostages held by Hamas since its October release would be the best way to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The war began after seven attacks. He expressed his hope that Hamas would accept Israel’s “extraordinarily generous” offer.
“At this moment, Hamas is the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a cease-fire,” he declared at a World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh. “Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel.”.
It is imperative that they make a swift decision. We’re watching that, and I’m hoping they’ll make the right choice so we can have a significant shift in the dynamic, Blinken stated.
Though negotiations are ongoing, Israel has accepted a number of offers that Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have negotiated but Hamas has rejected thus far. Blinken said it was imperative to improve conditions in Gaza right away, even in the absence of a deal.
Earlier on Monday, Blinken told the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, “We’re also not waiting on a cease-fire to take the necessary steps to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza.” This was his first stop on his Middle East tour, which also includes stops in Jordan and Israel on Tuesday and Wednesday. It began in Saudi Arabia.
“In the past few weeks, there has been observable progress, such as the construction of the U.S. embassy in Gaza, the opening of additional crossings, and an increase in the amount of aid delivered to and within Gaza. s. seaport, scheduled to open in the upcoming weeks. However, it falls short. More aid is still needed in and around Gaza, the speaker stated.
He stated that there is a need to enhance the safety of aid workers and to make sure that aid is reaching Palestinian civilians in the right way.
Throughout the conflict, countless humanitarian workers have lost their lives delivering aid, and this month’s Israeli attack on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza that claimed the lives of seven of them only served to emphasize the risks and challenges involved in keeping them safe. Israel has disciplined the involved officials and claimed that the strike was an error.
After being closed for four weeks, World Central Kitchen announced that it will reopen for business in Gaza on Monday.
Blinken has his work cut out for him; on Monday, he will also meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
With no end in sight, the conflict in Gaza has claimed the lives of over 34,000 Palestinians, displaced hundreds of thousands more, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza is getting worse.
Mass protests sparked by the conflict have expanded to American college campuses and other parts of the world. I. s. The administration is well aware that its backing of Israel, especially in the form of arms transfers, has drawn criticism, which could cause issues for U.S. s. Joe Biden as President during an election year.
Blinken’s trip coincides with growing concerns about the conflict escalating throughout the Middle East and with once-optimistic prospects for Israeli-Saudi rapprochement essentially on hold due to Israel’s refusal to acknowledge the establishment of a Palestinian state, which is one of the Saudis’ primary demands for normalized relations.
In the meantime, over a million Palestinians have fled to the southern Gaza city of Rafah in order to avoid fighting further north, and the Biden administration has been cautioning Israel against conducting a large-scale military operation there. Though Israel hasn’t started one yet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated time and time again that one will, claiming it’s the only way to completely eradicate Hamas.
The White House and U.S. officials said that both subjects were covered in a Sunday phone conversation between Biden and Netanyahu. S. officials.
Blinken stated that he would emphasize how crucial it is to prevent the region from being consumed by the Israel-Hamas conflict while on his trip.
The threat of conflict was highlighted this month when Iran launched an unprecedented direct missile and drone attack against Israel in retaliation for what was believed to be an Israeli attack on an Iranian consulate building in Syria. The Israeli strike on Iran appeared to be a retaliatory move.
While the cycle of tit-for-tat seems to have broken for the time being, there are still grave worries that Iran or its proxies in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, or Israel may take actions that require Israel to respond to, or that Iran may act in a way that provokes a stronger response from Israel.
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