I will discuss with Israel the provision of aid to Gaza

Middle East

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said upon arriving in Tel Aviv on Friday that he would discuss with Israeli officials his country’s efforts to provide humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and Israel’s right to defend itself.

Blinken added through his Platform X account that he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said yesterday, Thursday, that Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi will meet Blinken tomorrow, Saturday, in Amman to highlight the need to stop the Israeli war on Gaza.

As escalation and fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas continues unabated for 4 weeks, Blinken arrived in Israel on Friday for the second time since the war began as part of a new regional tour, and will move to Israel. Jordan, which recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv to protest against the bombing of Gaza.

In a post on platform “X” (formerly Twitter), Blinken expressed his gratitude for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s efforts “to facilitate a mechanism for the exit of Americans and other nationalities” from the Strip, saying : “We are intensely focused on the two-state solution and reject forced resettlement.”

Blinken is expected to renew his country’s support for Israel, but will also put pressure on all stakeholders to achieve the evacuation of all Americans from Gaza, as well as the release of foreign prisoners held by Hamas. The Israeli military said Hamas held 242 prisoners, some of them foreigners.

Before leaving Washington on Thursday, Blinken said he would discuss during a visit to Israel “concrete steps” to take to reduce harm to civilians in Gaza, amid growing warnings of a rise in the number of deaths and injuries from consequence of the Israeli bombing of the Strip.

Blinken told reporters on Thursday, on his second visit to the Middle East in less than a month, that the focus will also be on the future of Gaza after the defeat of Hamas, if it is achieved, the entry of more humanitarian aid into the village. Gaza and how to ensure that the scope of the conflict does not expand. Blinken said one of the topics that will be discussed during the visit will be securing the release of the more than 200 hostages held by Hamas.

A White House official said Blinken would urge the Israeli government to agree to a series of brief truces for military operations in Gaza to allow for the safe release of hostages and the distribution of humanitarian aid.

Blinken, who will visit Jordan after Israel and then head to Asia, reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself but said Israel and the United States have a responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians.

Blinken said: “We will talk about concrete steps that can and should reduce the harm suffered by men, women and children in Gaza, and that is something that the United States is committed to. I won’t go into detail here, but this is firmly in discussion. agenda”.

This series of clashes between Israel and Hamas began when Hamas militants infiltrated the border on October 7. Israel says it killed 1,400 people, most of them civilians, while Gaza health authorities say Israeli shelling following the attack killed at least 9,061 people, including 3,760 children and 2,326 women.

As Israeli ground operations began, concerns mounted about whether Israel had an exit strategy or a plan for the next phase.

Washington is negotiating with Israel and other countries in the region on how to govern the Palestinian territories if Israel wins on the battlefield, but a clear plan has not yet crystallized.

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