Blinken goes to Israel to urge Netanyahu to call for humanitarian pauses in Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday for a brief official visit, the second visit to Israel since the start of the war against the Islamist group Hamas on 7 October, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed to EFE. Anthony Blinken defended the need to "protect civilian life" and "send humanitarian aid" to the Gaza Strip. 

As reported by CNN, Blinken told reporters before leaving Washington on Thursday that he planned to talk to the Israeli government about "the ongoing campaign against the Hamas terrorist organisation" and "the steps we need to take to protect civilians". El Pais reported on Thursday that Blinken will ask the Israeli leader for a "temporary and specific" cessation of hostilities to evacuate US citizens from Gaza and provide them with assistance.

"We have outlined our priorities, which include protecting civilian lives, sending humanitarian aid and ensuring the safe escape of foreign nationals from Gaza," Blinken wrote on his X social networking account. 

Blinken declined to elaborate on the "specific measures" he would take to better protect civilians and did not respond directly to questions about whether Israel has so far refrained from offensives. Instead, he said it was "crossfire from Hamas" and blamed the "problems and fears" on the terrorist group's use of civilians as human shields and the deployment of fighter jets against civilian infrastructure. 

"When I see children, Palestinian children, rescued from the rubble of collapsed buildings, it touches me as much as seeing children in Israel or anywhere else," Blinken said. "We have an obligation to respond and we will respond." 

Meanwhile, the Israeli army on Friday confirmed the deaths of four Israeli soldiers in one of the offensives against Islamist militant incursions during fighting with the Islamic insurgent group in the northern Gaza Strip. A few hours earlier, Defence Force Chief of Staff General Herzi Halevi confirmed that his forces had ended the siege of Gaza City.

But while citing advances in the northern Gaza Strip, Halevi emphasised the difficulties of the war. The Israeli chief of staff added: "The army is fighting in dense and complex urban areas that require professional combat and bravery". The Hezbollah leader is expected to give his first speech on Friday. Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah party, is scheduled to speak on Friday following the 7 October attack on Israel by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) at the start of the war in the Gaza Strip. 

"Hezbollah said in a statement that Nasrallah will give a speech at 3:00 p.m. local time as part of an event commemorating the martyrs who died on their way to Jerusalem," Lebanese Al-Manar television reported. The Iranian-backed group, considered the most powerful paramilitary group in the Middle East, attacked Israel on 7 October, killing some 1,400 people, following Hamas attacks on Israeli soil. During this period, other Palestinian armed groups fired on Israeli territory in Lebanon. 

Arab partners, in particular, have sharply criticised Israel's Gaza campaign, including the withdrawal of the Jordanian and Bahraini ambassadors. Privately, US government officials have warned their Israeli counterparts about the impact of such images and the importance of allowing humanitarian aid to reach strategic targets as international condemnation widens and deepens. 

"If these images continue to show death and destruction in Gaza, we will continue to say we won't have the time or the space to do what you want," the same source said, referring to the US experience in Mosul, Aleppo and Fallujah. "It's a message that is repeated all day, every day, at every level." 

Citizens, including Americans, have been able to leave Gaza for Egypt since Wednesday through the Rafah gate, and officials said continued departures were expected in the coming days. But getting to that point was an arduous process that took weeks and required significant high-level US pressure on the parties involved. 

Aid trucks arrived steadily over the past week, but US officials, including Blinken, said it was not enough. Israeli officials have also restricted fuel imports into Gaza, alleging that Hamas is stealing large quantities and hiding them from civilians. 

Americas Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra.