Antony Blinken, the American Secretary of State, held a meeting with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt’s president, in Cairo on a Thursday, aimed towards initiating Arab negotiations for a potential cessation of hostilities in Gaza. This came in the wake of Israel’s prime minister informing US Republicans of their continued fight against Hamas.
Israel’s operations were targeted towards Al Shifa hospital, located in the Northern part of Gaza, which is only semi-operable, and the bombardment continued for a fourth consecutive day. According to locals, several structures within the facility’s premises were set ablaze.
As a result of a sustained period of conflict spanning five months, a crisis arose where food availability in Gaza reached critically low levels, occasionally pushing past famine conditions within some regions. This affected the 2.3million Palestinians inhabiting the area, as per United Nations reports.
Speaking to Al Hadath, an Arabic broadcasting channel, Mr Blinken voiced a call for an immediate halt to the conflict, conditional on the freeing of captives, which promised to bring relief to the embattled residents of Gaza, particularly the children, women, and men. He went on to add that a proposal for such an immediate ceasefire was being formulated at the United Nations.
Talks which deliberated on the possibility of a ceasefire resumed in Qatar this week, proposing a six-week truce as a window to allow 40 Israeli captives freedom in exchange for the release of numerous Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
A significant obstacle remains, though, with Hamas insisting on a ceasefire agreement as a prerequisite for the release of captives, while Israel is open to discussion only about a temporary pause in fighting.
Despite this, Mr Blinken remains optimistic, telling Al Hadath that the possibility of reaching an agreement seems quite promising owing to the decreasing divergence in positions, and accentuated that the Israeli delegation was in attendance and authorised to negotiate a deal.
Reports from Mr Sisi’s office and the American state department disclosed that Mr Sisi and Mr Blinken collectively reviewed the progress made in the negotiations. Mr Sisi emphasized on the importance of a ceasefire for addressing the escalating humanitarian distress and cautioned about prospective impacts of a military initiative in Rafah, the remaining haven of relative safety within the region where a majority of the population has sought refuge, located adjacent to the Egyptian frontier.
As rising concerns about potential starvation within Gaza loom, officials from 36 nations and several United Nations agencies assembled in Cyprus to discuss the ways to fast-track transfer of humanitarian aid.
Sporadic logistic challenges faced by aid agencies notwithstanding, a caravan of humanitarian aid successfully arrived in Gaza enterprises through a novel route from Cyprus a week prior, with two more expected to follow suit shortly, all the while acknowledging the inadequacy of such operations in comparison to traditional truck-based food delivery mechanisms.
Constantinos Kombos, the Foreign Minister of Cyprus, pointed out the challenges inherent in the reception and distribution of information from conflict regions. In a detailed report, residents close to Al Shifa communicated via a messaging platform about the destruction caused by the military in the vicinity, which included nearby houses and the hospital complex.
Rabah, a local father of five, described the area as a battleground, with inhabitants unable to leave their homes due to continuous street fights. He highlighted Israel’s military actions, including the deployment of tanks in the centre of Gaza City resulting in the devastation of homes and roads, while the world watches passively.
The Israeli force reported the killing of over 50 Hamas fighters the day prior, raising the toll to 140 near the hospital area, with the loss of two of their own soldiers. It claimed to have found evidence of terrorist operations and weaponry around the facility, presenting images of AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, and other artillery.
Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, the Military Spokesman, stated that high-ranking Hamas terrorists and Islamic Jihad militants were using the hospital as a hiding spot. He talked about encountering militants in the hospital during their operation. The Israeli military provided night-vision footage displaying soldiers supplying food and water to the hospital.
Hamas, however, refuted these assertions, insisting that the casualties were wounded patients and displaced people, not militants. Hamas-released video clips revealed its militants outside the Al Shifa compound, armed and attacking Israeli tanks in the rubble-laden streets, which was confirmed through satellite imagery by Reuters.
On Thursday, Mr Blinken is scheduled to meet foreign ministers from various countries – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan – as well as the international co-operation minister from the United Arab Emirates and the general secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s executive committee, confirmed by the Egyptian foreign ministry.
During his Wednesday meeting with the Saudi crown prince, Mr Blinken expressed America’s support for an independent Palestinian state, ensuring security provisions for Israel.
These meetings are aimed at halting a six-month conflict that has resulted in nearly 32,000 Palestinian deaths, with 65 occurring in the past day, as per the Hamas-operated Gaza health ministry.
The conflict erupted when Hamas militants, who had control over Gaza, launched an assault on southern Israel on the 7th of October. This invasive act claimed the lives of roughly 1,200 individuals and led to the abduction of 253 people, as per counts by Israel.
Speaking to US Republican senators on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, stated that Israel would unwaveringly carry on its efforts to vanquish Hamas. In the face of rising global concern on the repercussions of such an offensive, Israel remained steadfast. Ron Dermer, the Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, confirmed on the Call Me Back podcast with Dan Senor that the push into Rafah would continue.
He forcefully declared, “Despite any potential fight we’ll face alone, even if it means wresting on the world’s opposition, including that of the United States, we shall persist until victory is claimed.” – Reuters
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