The mission will determine “what needs to be done so that displaced Palestinians can safely return to their north,” Blinken said. He also called on Israel to “stop taking measures that undermine the Palestinians’ ability to govern themselves.” Israel must be a “partner” with a Palestinian leadership that is prepared to support its people to live side by side with Israel in peace, the US Secretary of State emphasized.
According to the US State Department, in a conversation with Netanyahu, Blinken reiterated US support for Israel's right to prevent another attack by the Palestinian radical Islamic organization Hamas. Afterwards, the US Secretary of State “emphasized the importance of preventing further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant emphasized to Blinken that the Israeli military operation in the region of the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip would continue to be intensified until Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip was discovered and the hostages returned home safely. Furthermore, pressure on Iran must be increased to avoid a regional escalation of the war in Gaza, Netanyahu's press office said. Regarding the fighting with Shiite militia in southern Lebanon, Galant stressed that Israel prefers a diplomatic solution, but is also prepared for military action.
Earlier, after a conversation with Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog, Blinken highlighted the “incredibly challenging times for Israel,” the fate of hostages kidnapped from Israel to the Gaza Strip, and the “tireless efforts to bring everyone home.”
Blinken is currently trying to calm the situation during his trip to the Middle East. It is Blinken's fourth visit to Israel since the start of the war with the radical Islamic group Hamas. On Monday he visited Saudi Arabia and discussed, among other things, Riyadh's rapprochement with Israel with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The war was triggered on October 7 by a major attack by Hamas, which the EU and the US classify as a terrorist organization. Hundreds of Hamas fighters entered Israel and committed atrocities, mainly against civilians. According to Israeli data, 1,140 people were killed, some brutally, and around 250 others were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip.
Israel then declared war on Hamas and has been massively attacking the Gaza Strip ever since. According to Hamas figures that cannot be independently verified, more than 23,210 people have been killed in Palestinian territory so far. Aid organizations have repeatedly expressed concern about the situation of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.