Blinken flies to Mideast to press for Gaza truce
P ALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to the Middle East for another crisis tour on Monday in a bid to secure a new truce in the Israel-Hamas war as southern Gaza saw no letup IN THE fiGHTING.
On his fifth trip to the region since the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 attacks that triggered the war, Blinken was expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt and Qatar.
Ahead of the trip, he stressed the need for “urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza” after aid groups have repeatedly sounded the alarm over the devastating impact on the besieged territory of nearly four months of war.
“The situation is indescribable,” said Said Hamouda, a Palestinian who fled his home in the Gaza Strip to the southern city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt.
Dubbed a “pressure cooker of despair” by the United Nations, Rafah now hosts more than half of Gaza’s population, displaced due to Israel’s massive offensive there.
“Whether you have a million dollars or a hundred, you are in the same situation,” Hamouda said.
Over the weekend, Israel pressed further south toward the overflowing border city, warning that its ground forces could advance on Rafah as part of its campaign to eradicate Hamas.
On Monday morning, sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP) they could hear artillery shelling in the areas of eastern Rafah and Khan Younis, southern Gaza’s main city.
Israel says Khan Younis is where militants prepared for the October 7 attacks, and that high-ranking Hamas officials are hiding there.
At least 128 people, mostly women and children, were killed in Israeli strikes overnight into Monday in the besieged territory, the Hamas-ruled enclave’s Health Ministry said.
The Hamas government media office said Israeli bombardments have continued across the territory’s center and southern end, including near hospitals.
The Israeli army said troops continued to conduct “targeted raids” in central and northern Gaza.
In Khan Younis, forces killed “dozens of terrorists who ambushed the troops throughout the city,” it added.
No agreement yet
With Blinken arriving in the region, he was expected to discuss a proposed truce thrashed out in a Paris meeting in January of top US, Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari officials.
The diplomatic push has become more urgent with the surge in attacks across the region by Iran-backed groups in solidarity with Hamas, prompting Washington to launch counterattacks.
The proposed truce would pause fighting for an initial six weeks as Hamas frees hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a Hamas source said.
Hamas has said no agreement has yet been reached, while some Israeli officials have expressed opposition to any perceived concessions.
Before departing for the region, Blinken said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza would be one of his focuses.
“Urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza and advancing stability in the Middle East are priorities we share with Saudi Arabia,” Blinken said he told his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan.
The Gulf state had been mulling establishing formal relations with Israel before the war.
After January talks with the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Blinken said he still saw a “clear interest” in pursuing normalization.
Blinken’s latest Middle East visit comes as Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told the Wall Street Journal that its key ally had not shown sufficient support.
“Instead of giving us his full backing, (US President Joe) Biden is busy with giving humanitarian aid and fuel (to Gaza), which goes to Hamas,” he said in an article published on Sunday.
His outburst followed Washington
imposing sanctions on four settlers amid rising violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back, saying: “I don’t need help to know how to navigate our relations with the US and the international community, while standing firm on our national interests.”
As well as divisions within his Cabinet, Netanyahu is also facing public fury over the fate of Hamas’ remaining hostages.
Hundreds of people rallied in the western Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand early elections.