US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Israel with the families of Hamas hostages.
US Secretary of State by Antony Blinken according to the United States wants to achieve a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza “now”. Blinken urged the Palestinian extremist organization Hamas to accept the agreement.
– There is now a strong proposal on the table that Hamas should accept, Blinken said.
According to Blinken, the United States is determined to achieve a ceasefire that will bring home the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, and to achieve it now.
Blinken first met with the Israeli president by Isaac Herzogand later on Wednesday he met with the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
– We also need to focus on the people who are suffering from the crossfire in Gaza, Blinken told Herzog.
Blinken also visited the families of the hostages.
Hamas is due to respond to an offer by Israel to temporarily halt its attack on Gaza and release Palestinian prisoners. Hamas, on the other hand, should release the Israeli hostages it captured on October 7.
Gazans packed into Rafah
In his meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken reminded that the United States opposes Israel’s planned attack on Rafah in the southern part of Gaza. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told about this on Wednesday Matthew Miller.
Director of UN Humanitarian Aid Martin Griffiths warned on Tuesday of the consequences that an Israeli attack on Rafah would have.
– The simple truth is that a ground attack on Rafah would be an indescribable tragedy. No humanitarian plan would help fix that, Griffiths said.
Most of the Gaza Strip’s estimated more than two million residents have fled to Rafah.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the attack on Rafah would take place regardless of whether a truce with Hamas, which controls Gaza, is reached or not.
AFP, Reuters, STT