Biden calls for a "humanitarian pause" in Gaza ahead of Blinken's Israel trip
Israeli troops are maintaining their ground offensive in the Gaza Strip with air and sea support, while the United States is once again calling for a "humanitarian pause". "I think we need a pause to get the prisoners out," said President Joe Biden during a recent speech referring to the more than 200 hostages kidnapped in Gaza by Hamas.
The White House has previously called for "humanitarian pauses" to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as for evacuations. However, Israel has refused to declare a ceasefire against Hamas until the terrorist group releases the hostages, lays down its weapons and stops launching attacks on Israeli territory.
Despite the failure to reach a ceasefire, hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid have entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt. Similarly, in the last few hours, 335 foreign nationals living in the Palestinian enclave and 76 wounded have been evacuated from Gaza thanks to mediation by the US and Qatar. For the first time since the war began on 7 October, Cairo has allowed its border with Gaza to open, although it still refuses to accept Palestinian refugees.
In order to address these and other issues related to the conflict, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel again tomorrow, Friday. He is also scheduled to visit Jordan afterwards.
As announced by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, Blinken "will reiterate US support for Israel's right to defend itself in accordance with international humanitarian law and discuss the need to take every precaution to minimise civilian casualties, as well as our work to deliver humanitarian assistance".
Diplomatic sources have also indicated that Blinken will visit Turkey on Sunday. However, the State Department has not confirmed this. State Department adviser Derek Chollet, who will also travel to Israel to reaffirm "America's commitment to stand in solidarity with Israel and support its right to defend itself, consistent with international humanitarian law," will visit the Eurasian country.
After their stay in Israel, both Blinken and Chollet will head to Jordan, which recently recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv to protest the "unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe" caused by the "ongoing Israeli war".
Washington, while "sharing concerns" about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, believes that diplomacy is "important", while measures that curtail diplomatic channels "are not productive to our shared long-term goals and to promoting a long-term solution to this crisis".
Jordanian Foreign Minister Arman Safadi said the measure would remain in place until the end of the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Amman took this decision shortly after the bombing in the north of the enclave that hit the Jabaliya refugee camp.
Hamas announced dozens of deaths as a result of the air strike, as well as the deaths of seven hostages, three of them foreigners. In total, the death toll in Gaza since the war began has now exceeded 9,000, according to authorities controlled by the terrorist group.
In addition to Jordan, Colombia and Chile have also recalled their ambassadors to Tel Aviv following the Jabaliya attack, while Bolivia has suspended diplomatic relations with Israel.
The Israeli attack targeted Ibrahim Biari, the Hamas commander of the Jabaliya Central Battalion, who was hiding in the refugee camp, which the Israeli army has been asked to evacuate for weeks. Biari, in addition to overseeing Hamas operations in the northern Gaza Strip, was involved in multiple attacks against Israel in recent years.
Biari has also been accused of being one of the leaders responsible for sending fighters into southern Israel on 7 October to commit the massacres. The attack also eliminated the Hamas command and control centre in Jabaliya, as well as a large number of militants.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that "the underground terrorist infrastructure collapsed after the attack" and again urged residents of the area to "move south for their safety".
Israel has accused Hamas of blocking the passage of Gazan civilians seeking to flee south, as well as using them as human shields. In this regard, the IDF has also pointed out that the terrorist group sent a large group of women and children to act as human shields against Israeli troops during its operations in Gaza.
In addition, Israeli military authorities recently released an intercepted phone call exposing how Hamas is allegedly stealing fuel from civilians and hospitals in Gaza.
Israel announces the death of 18 soldiers in the fighting against Hamas, which is threatening similar actions to those of 7 October
Meanwhile, Israeli troops continue ground operations in the Palestinian enclave, closing in on Gaza City. During the offensive, the IDF has managed to eliminate dozens of terrorists, as well as destroying Hamas infrastructure. However, 18 Israeli soldiers have also been killed in the fighting.
As announced by IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, "the activity will continue and intensify according to the stages of the war and its objectives as defined by the Israeli government". "We are fighting for our right and the right of future generations to live in security and prosperity in our homeland," he added.
For his part, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stressed that the war is "advancing according to the targets", explaining that troops are fighting Hamas terrorists coming out of tunnels, hospitals and schools. "We will not stop until we reach all terrorists, of all ranks," he said.
Hamas, for its part, has threatened more attacks and massacres similar to that of 7 October. "We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do it twice and three times," said Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas' political bureau, during an interview with Lebanese broadcaster LBC. "Israel is a country that has no place in our land," he added.
Hamad also spoke of Israel's destruction "because it constitutes a political, military and security catastrophe for the Arab and Islamic nation". "Will we have to pay a price? Yes, and we are willing to pay it. We are called a nation of martyrs and we are proud to sacrifice martyrs," he concludes.
Iran raises regional tensions and Saudi Arabia does not rule out post-war deal with Israel
In addition to the situation in Gaza and the war with Hamas, Israel also has to deal with Hezbollah attacks in northern Israel and Houthi threats from Yemen, both of which are funded and backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Tehran has again threatened to intervene in the conflict if a ceasefire is not reached soon. This was stated by Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdollahian during a visit to Turkey, where he assured that the entire region is his "home".
However, there are still countries in the region willing to make peace with Israel in order to promote stability in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, which has been engaged for months in negotiations with the US to normalise relations with Israel, has assured Washington that it is interested in seeking an agreement with Israel once the war in Gaza is over. This was announced to the press by White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, according to Axios.