United States (US) MINISTER of Foreign Affairs Antony Blinken said that ‘Uncle Sam’s country’ opposes Israel’s planned attack on the city of Rafah in the Southern Gaza Strip. He ensured that Washington might not support attacks on areas where civilians were taking refuge.
Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem for two and a half hours. After that, Israel repeated that the invasion of Rafah would go ahead despite warnings from the US and UN that this would cause a humanitarian tragedy.
“We cannot and will not support a major military operation in Rafah if there is not an effective plan to ensure civilians are not harmed and no, we have not seen such a plan,” Blinken told reporters.
“There are other ways, and in our judgment, better ways, to face the Hamas challenge that do not require a large-scale military operation in Rafah,” he said.
He added that this was the subject of ongoing talks with Israel.
An Israeli government spokesman said Israel remains determined to destroy remaining Hamas combat formations in the region.
Also read: The Gaza issue is highlighted by the World Economic Forum in Saudi
“Regarding Rafah, we are committed to moving four of the last five Hamas battalions in Rafah. “We shared our plans with Secretary of State Blinken,” the spokesperson said at a regular briefing.
Israel is the final stop on Blinken’s tour of the Middle East, his seventh visit to the region. It largely focuses on efforts to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Blinken spoke at Israel’s main port, Ashdod, and praised progress in recent weeks on humanitarian access, including allowing flour for the Gaza Strip to be sent through the port, as well as opening new border crossings.
Also read: Benjamin Netanyahu is angry with US students protesting once morest Palestine
“This progress is real, but given the need, given the magnitude of the need in Gaza, this needs to be accelerated and maintained,” he said.
Blinken called on the Israeli government to take a series of specific steps to facilitate aid to the Gaza Strip, where nearly half of the population is suffering from severe hunger.
The US is Israel’s diplomatic backer and main arms supplier. Blinken’s visit comes regarding a month following US President Joe Biden issued a stark warning that Washington’s policy might change if Israel fails to take steps to address civilian losses, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers.
Also read: Israel calls US military assistance a ‘strong message’ to the enemy
Blinken also urged Hamas to accept an Egyptian mediator’s proposed ceasefire deal and release 33 hostages in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners and a halt to fighting, with the possibility of further steps toward a comprehensive deal at a later date.
“Israel has made a very important compromise,” he said.
“There is no time for further haggling. The deal is there. They (Hamas) have to take it,” he added.
A senior Hamas official said they were still studying the proposed deal but said Israel was the real obstacle.
“Blinken’s comments contradict reality,” said Sami Abu Zuhri.
“Israel has postponed sending a delegation to Cairo for further ceasefire negotiations, pending a response from the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar,” an Israeli official said.
Attack on Rafah
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said Israel’s ground operation in Rafah would begin soon.
In a statement, he said Israel’s improvements to aid access in the Gaza Strip might not be used to prepare or justify a major military offensive on Rafah.
Netanyahu insisted the operation would go ahead whatever the outcome of the talks, and Israeli media reported that Netanyahu still refused to accept Hamas’ main demand that any agreement must include a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
The Ynet news site, citing the Prime Minister’s Office, reported that Netanyahu told Blinken that the Rafah operation was not contingent on anything and he rejected any ceasefire proposal that would end the Gaza war.
Despite facing international calls to delay any attack on Rafah, Netanyahu is facing pressure from the religious nationalist partners he relies on to keep his coalition government moving forward.
Israel describes Rafah as Hamas’s last bastion and he has promised to eliminate it.
En route to Kerem Shalom, one of the main crossing points for aid into Gaza, Blinken stopped briefly at Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, where Hamas militants attacked on October 7, killing dozens of residents and kidnapping others.
Blinken visited the badly damaged home of an American-Israeli family, all of whom, including his five-year-old twins, were killed in the attack. Hamas killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 253 in the attacks, according to an Israeli tally.
The hostages were mostly Israelis but included some foreign nationals.
In response, Israel has seized control of the Gaza Strip, killing more than 34,000 Palestinians, local health authorities said, in a bombardment that has reduced much of the territory to desert.
“More than 1 million people face a hunger crisis following six months of war,” the UN said.
“As night fell on Wednesday, Israeli planes and tanks pounded several areas in the Gaza Strip,” residents and Hamas media said.
Medics in the Gaza Strip said at least 27 Palestinians were killed in attacks on Wednesday, and others were likely injured or killed in areas they might not reach. (straitstimes/Z-1)
#Antony #Blinken #Emphasizes #Opposes #Israeli #Invasion #Rafah #Humanitarian #Plan
