Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he boards a plane en route to Saudi Arabia as part of his fifth trip to the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza erupted in October [Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via AP]
Published February 7, 2024
The US official arrives as reports suggest fading optimism over efforts to bring the war to a halt.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel as he seeks to seal a truce deal to bring the war in Gaza to a halt.
Following meetings the previous day in Egypt and Qatar, both mediating between Hamas and Israel, Blinken landed in Jerusalem on Wednesday on his fifth tour of the tense region since October last year. He will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog, among others, to discuss the Palestinian group’s response to the proposed deal.
Hamas has said previously that any deal must bring about a definitive end to the war. Israel has said it will not halt the war permanently until Hamas is destroyed.
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SOURCE: www.aljazeera.com
RELATED: Israel confirms 31 Gaza hostages killed as ceasefire talks continue
Published February 7, 2024
The Israeli authorities say that 31 of the hostages taken to Gaza by Hamas on October 7 have now been confirmed dead – more than a fifth of the number that remain in the area.
Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people in their attack, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. More than 100 captives, mostly women and children, were released during a weeklong ceasefire in November in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The Palestinian death toll from nearly four months of war has reached 27,585, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count but says most of the dead have been women and children.
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SOURCE: www.euronews.com
RELATED: Blinken Discussing Israel-Hamas Cease-fire Proposal with Israeli Officials
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks off his aircraft upon arrival at Ben Gurion International airport on Feb. 6, 2024.
Published February 7, 2024
STATE DEPARTMENT — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel for talks Wednesday with Israeli leaders about a proposed pause in fighting in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and President Isaac Herzog come a day after Blinken said Hamas leaders had given their response to the proposal.
Blinken told reporters in Doha, Qatar, that the United States was studying the response intensely, and that it had been shared with Israel.
“We will be working as hard as we possibly can to try to get an agreement so that we can move forward with not only a renewed but an expanded agreement on hostages and all the benefits that would bring with it,” Blinken said.
