The American Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that a coalition of countries in the middle East or international agencies could temporarily take over Gaza Strip in the postwar period, if Israel manage to defeat them Terror group Hamas. This interim control will continue until a Palestinian Authority government is established in the enclave, he said on Tuesday, March 31.
“At some point, a revitalized and effective Palestinian Authority administering the Gaza Strip makes the most sense,” Blinken said at a Senate hearing. “It is still questionable whether this alternative can be realized in the short term. If not, there are other temporary avenues that may involve other actors in the region.”
Under this interim solution cited by Blinken, the Arab countries in the region would have custody of Gaza until the Palestinian Authority takes power. Another alternative would be a mandate from an international force, probably the United Nations.
Israel fears that the PA’s control over Gaza does not ensure the safety of the population in the south of the country. The group that rules the West Bank has grown weaker in recent years and lost popularity among Palestinians.
Blinken also told American senators that he expects a surge in humanitarian aid to the region, which could reach 100 trucks a day this week. He acknowledged that the volume is insufficient to meet the needs of Gaza’s civilian population, which faces a humanitarian drama with Israeli blockades and the escalation of the conflict. However, he noted that even with a larger volume of aid, up to 500 trucks per day, there is still the challenge of ensuring that these resources are actually distributed within the enclave.
Palestinians search for victims in rubble in Jabalia, home to Gaza’s largest refugee camp; The Hamascontrolled Health Ministry blames the Israeli attack for the destruction. Photo: Portal/Anas alShareef
Israeli forces arrive in Gaza City
Meanwhile, Israeli troops have arrived north of Gaza City and are advancing toward the coastal road that runs through the entire enclave, the Interior Ministry controlled by the terrorist group reported.
Further north, the escalation of the conflict reached Jabalia, about four kilometers from Gaza City and home to the enclave’s largest refugee camp. Photos released by international agencies show a huge crater and the destruction of surrounding buildings as civilian rescue teams search the rubble to help victims.
An Israeli official told the New York Times that they were still evaluating information about what happened at the crater site. On social media, IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) spokesman Daniel Hagari announced that Israeli strikes killed one of the Hamas leaders in Jabalia.
“He was eliminated as part of a largescale attack on the terrorists and terrorist infrastructure of the Jabalia Battalion,” Hagari wrote on X (formerly Twitter) when announcing the death of Ebrahim Biari, described as the commander of the terrorist group in Jabalia .
According to the Israeli spokesman, he was one of the leaders of the terrorist attack that killed more than 1,400 people in Israel and triggered the war. The operation would have used IDF fighter jets, guided by intelligence from Israel’s Shin Bet security service.
Hamas, in turn, denied that the commander was in the area hit by Israeli planes./THE NEW YORK TIMES