BRUSSELS: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Wednesday his intent to focus on extending the pause in the fighting in Gaza during his upcoming visit to Israel. Following a NATO meeting in Brussels, Blinken expressed the importance of prolonging the truce to facilitate the release of hostages and ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
“Looking at the next couple of days, we will be focused on doing what we can to extend the pause so that we continue to get more hostages out and more humanitarian assistance in,” stated Blinken, highlighting the positive outcomes enabled by the pause, particularly the release of hostages who have been reunited with their families.
Blinken emphasized that an extension of the truce aligns with Israel’s interests, as they are also intensely focused on bringing their people home. He underlined the collaborative efforts in progress to achieve this objective.
Blinken to Meet Israeli PM and Palestinian President
The Secretary of State is set to embark on his third wartime visit to the Middle East, where he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah.
The current truce in Gaza, scheduled to expire early Thursday, follows a six-day pause in a conflict marked by a significant Israeli military offensive in the territory. The campaign has resulted in huge casualties, with health officials reporting nearly 15,000 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and extensive destruction in the northern part of Gaza.
Meanwhile, Hamas has expressed its willingness to extend the truce for four days, proposing the release of more Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Negotiators, including Qatar, are actively working towards securing a “sustainable” ceasefire as part of ongoing mediation efforts.
