Israel informed Blinken that there would be no reprieve unless the detainees were released

Middle East

Israel informed US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that there would be no truce unless the detainees were released, while the US Secretary of State informed them that a humanitarian truce would help deal with the pressures of supporting its operation, according to what the American website “Axios” reported.

An American official said that the United States is making intense efforts to extract hostages from Gaza, and that there is no guarantee of the success of this effort, stressing that no agreement has yet been reached on a humanitarian truce for the fighting in Gaza.

The American official stressed that any attempt to extract the hostages requires a massive cessation of combat operations.

This comes as 14 members of the US Senate from the Democratic Party sent a message calling on Israel to cease fire and work to avoid targeting civilians.

The Biden administration has for weeks urged Israel to prioritize the security of Gazans in its retaliation against Hamas, but that pressure has increased in the past 24 hours after Democrats strengthened the message.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel to speak frankly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team. The main reason for Blinken’s third meeting with Netanyahu since the start of the war was to broker a humanitarian truce in the fighting so that vital aid could reach people affected by Israel’s bombing campaign.

“We have given Israel advice that only the best of friends can give on how to reduce civilian deaths while continuing to achieve its goals of finding and eliminating Hamas terrorists and their violent infrastructure,” Blinken said during his visit today.

Statements like these from a senior American official, especially someone very close to President Joe Biden, already carry great weight. The message was made even more powerful when prominent Democrats echoed it, in addition to earlier criticism from progressive lawmakers.

Democratic Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Brian Schatz questioned Israel’s goal of eliminating every member of Hamas during an interview with Politico. He said that something must be left from Gaza to rebuild Palestinian society and called for a humanitarian truce. He added: “Fighting is not a strategy, anger is not a strategy, and only anger, even though it may be righteous, is not a strategy.”

Senator Chris Murphy, who leads the Middle East Committee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a harsh statement on Thursday, saying that “the current rate of civilian deaths inside Gaza is unacceptable. I urge Israel to immediately reconsider its approach and move to a clearer framework and more proportionate counter-terrorism campaign.”

According to the Hamas-led Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel responded to the Hamas attack on October 7, including nearly 4,000 children. A Democratic Senate staffer, like others who granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Murphy believed that “as a friend of Israel, he had to say something” as the civilian death toll mounted.

Hours later, 14 Senate Democrats banded together in a joint statement urging an end to the fighting, which was largely written by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, according to an aide to one of the signatories.

“The failure to provide adequate protection to non-combatant civilians threatens a significant escalation of conflict in the region and causes serious damage to the prospects for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians,” they said.

A third Democratic Senate staffer said lawmakers decided to release the letter after the Israeli raid on the Jabalia refugee camp.

The pressure doesn’t appear to be working so far, and Netanyahu insisted in a press conference today that the Israeli campaign will continue with full force until Hamas releases all the hostages, stressing that he has told Blinken this directly.

Critics say the administration relies on words to convince Israel to change course and has failed to impose any real costs on the ally. “We will not place any conditions on the support we provide to Israel to defend itself,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in the United Kingdom on Thursday.

However, Democrats appear more consistent in their belief in protecting civilians now than at any other point in the war.

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