Blinken is traveling to Israel to try to get Netanyahu to agree to a humanitarian “pause” in the Gaza offensive
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to visit Israel this Friday for the second time in a month to try to get Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to agree to a “humanitarian pause” in its offensive on Gaza so it can provide humanitarian aid The Strip and foreign passport holders who were trapped in the Palestinian enclave when hostilities began on October 7 will be allowed to leave.
Blinken comes at a climax in Israel’s ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli soldiers end the siege of Gaza City, the territory’s capital, and face off with Hamas militants who continue to hide. They move through a dense network of tunnels from which they harass the military. Since last Tuesday, the 31st, when the ground operation de facto began, until this Friday, according to the Israeli army, 24 Israeli soldiers have died every morning in Gaza.
Blinken will meet with Netanyahu to try to get him to agree to impose humanitarian “pauses” on the entry of aid and the exit of displaced foreigners and dual-national Palestinians. He will also meet with the Jordanian Foreign Minister. “We are trying to explore the idea of taking as many breaks as necessary to maintain receipt of assistance and continuing to work to keep it going.” [de Gaza] people, including the hostages,” said White House national security spokesman John Kirby. Hamas has repeatedly linked the release of hostages to the cessation of bombing attacks. However, Washington undoubtedly grants Israel the right to defend itself and views these pauses as temporary and localized.
Upon his departure from the United States, Blinken stated that his goal was to discuss with the Israeli government the implementation of concrete measures to minimize harm to civilians in Gaza. Israeli bombings allegedly targeting Hamas militants killed more than 9,000 people, including nearly 4,000 children. These figures, together with the catastrophic humanitarian situation of the enclave’s more than two million residents and more than a million displaced people, have led much of the international community to demand a ceasefire from Israel, even if only temporarily. No success so far. (Portal)