US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making another emergency trip to the Middle East to try to salvage some sort of hostage and ceasefire deal.
Blinken will fly out Sunday for his fifth visit to the war-torn region since October 7, when the Palestinian terror group Hamas launched a sneak attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking hundreds more hostage, leading the country’s Jews to declare war on it in Gaza.
The top US diplomat will “continue diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement that guarantees the release of all remaining hostages,” according to a press release.
Blinken will also work to secure a “humanitarian pause” in Israel’s war on Gaza to increase aid to Palestinian civilians – and ultimately reach an overall peace deal, the statement said.
“He will continue to work to prevent the spread of conflict, while insisting that the United States will take appropriate steps to defend its personnel and the right to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,” added spokesman Matthew Miller.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to the Middle East for the fifth time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war to try to settle some peace details.
Although there has been talk of a possible hostage deal in the works, Hamas has said it will not release the remaining 100-plus hostages until Israel agrees to a permanent ceasefire, which Israeli leaders have refused to do until the terror group is completely eradicated.
Hamas Political Bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh said the latest proposal on the table was from Israel, Egypt, Qatar and the US and it suggested a pause in fighting in exchange for all the prisoners.
The proposal is believed to require a one-day pause in the battle for each hostage, according to The Times of Israel.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad on Friday discussed a potential ceasefire deal but one in which they demand the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, according to CNN.
Blinken will try to get a “humanitarian pause” in the war during his journey. AFP via Getty Images Although there is talk of a potential hostage deal in the works, Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives until Israel participates in a permanent ceasefire, which Israeli officials have refused to do. AFP via Getty Images
Barbara Leaf, a US official for the Middle East, said she was not aware of any official “definitive response” from the Palestinian terror group, the outlet said.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the UN Security Council that negotiators were working to get more aid to the Gaza Strip but did not know when that aid would be reasonably acceptable, according to CNN.
“We gave that effort on the field,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “I cannot give you a time frame for negotiations. Negotiations take time.”
Earlier this week, Blinken ordered a review of US recognition of Palestine as a state at the end of the war.
Blinken reportedly also called for a review of the possibility of a Palestinian state that the military had destroyed.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
