US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken meets with families of Hamas hostages in Israel.
US Secretary of State of Anthony Blinken According to the US, it wants to reach a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza “now”. Blinken urged the Palestinian militant group Hamas to accept the deal.
– A strong proposal is now on the table for Hamas to accept, Blinken said.
According to Blinken, the U.S. is committed to reaching a ceasefire that brings home Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and it must be reached now.
Blinken first met with the Israeli president Isaac DuchessLater on Wednesday he met the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
– Blinken told Herzog that we should also focus on the victims of the shooting in Gaza.
Blinken also visited the families of the hostages.
Hamas to respond to Israel's proposal to temporarily halt attacks on Gaza and release Palestinian prisoners. On the other hand, Hamas must release the Israeli hostages it captured on October 7.
Gazans are packed into Rafah
In his meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken recalled that the United States opposes Israel's planned attack on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. The spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said this on Wednesday Matthew Miller.
UN Humanitarian Assistant Director Martin Griffiths It warned of the consequences of an Israeli attack on Rafah on Tuesday.
– The simple truth is that a ground attack on Rafa would be unspeakably tragic. No humanitarian program will help fix that, Griffiths said.
More than two million of the estimated residents of the Gaza Strip have fled to Rafah.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the attack on Rafah would take place whether or not a ceasefire was reached with Hamas, which controls Gaza.
AFP, Reuters, STT
