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07-02-2024
CAIRO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday landed in Cairo for his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi as the United States works to advance a Gaza truce and hostage deal mediated by the Egyptians and Qataris.
The top US diplomat departed Riyadh shortly after sunrise for what is set to be a marathon day visiting Egypt and Qatar before flying to Israel to discuss hostage negotiations, post-war Gaza plans and the prospect of Arab countries and Israel normalizing ties.
Blinken’s fifth trip to the region since October comes as the United States presses ahead with its retaliatory campaign against Iran-aligned militia which had attacked last month and killed U.S. troops in a military outpost in Jordan.
Washington sees a possible truce to free remaining hostages Hamas kidnapped on Oct. 7 and pause fighting in Gaza as key to progress on other challenges, such as the governance of post-war Gaza, a path towards Palestinian statehood and a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalize their relationship.
Israel’s withering military campaign has killed at least 27,585 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry.
The army said Tuesday that “over the past day, dozens of terrorists have been killed and approximately 80 individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activity have been apprehended, including a number of terrorists that took part in the October 7 massacre”.
It added that army snipers had killed more than 15 militants, and that a naval vessel had fired missiles at a “terrorist cell”.
A journalist said overnight strikes rocked Khan Yunis and that two air strikes also struck Rafah.
“No place is safe, no place at all where shall we go?” one Palestinian, Mohamad Kozaat, said after six members of his family, including his daughter, were wounded in an Israeli strike on the border town.
The United States has strongly backed its top regional ally Israel with munitions and diplomatic support, but also urged steps to reduce civilian casualties and to eventually move toward a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
The truce Blinken is hoping to seal proposes a six-week pause to fighting as Hamas frees hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and more aid enters Gaza, according to a Hamas source.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced divisions within his cabinet and public fury over the fate of the remaining hostages, said Israel “will not accept” demands Hamas has made for an exchange involving thousands of prisoners.
The premier’s right-wing Likud party quoted him as saying the terms “should be similar to the previous agreement” in late November, which saw a more limited ratio of Palestinian prisoners exchanged for captives. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
