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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who arrived in Israel on Tuesday, called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to capitalize on the death of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar to reach a cease-fire in Gaza.
Blinken also pressed for more aid to be allowed into the Palestinian territory as concerns rise for tens of thousands of civilians trapped by Israel’s attacks in the hard-to-reach north. The U.N. recently criticized Israel for prohibiting the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid into the blockaded Palestinian enclave.
Blinken underscored the need to capitalize on Sinwar’s death by securing the release of all hostages and ending the conflict in Gaza in a way that provides lasting security for Israelis and Palestinians alike, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said after the talks in Jerusalem.
Blinken also “emphasized the need for Israel to take additional steps to increase and sustain the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and ensure that assistance reaches civilians throughout Gaza,” Miller said.
The trip comes little more than a week after the United States threatened to withhold some U.S. aid without progress in delivering assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has described a catastrophic situation.
Blinken is paying his 11th visit to the region since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas which prompted genocidal Israeli attacks in Gaza.
With the U.S. election just two weeks away, President Joe Biden asked Blinken to return to press for progress, seeing new hope after Israel’s killing of Sinwar.
Blinken on previous trips has sought to prevent the conflict from escalating into a regional war. But Israel since last month has been striking across Lebanon and carrying out attacks against Syria.
Miller said Blinken again called for a “diplomatic resolution” in Lebanon and compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006 which called for the long-term disarmament of Hezbollah but also a withdrawal of Israeli forces from its northern neighbor.
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