Blinken urges Israel to seize the opportunity to end the war in Gaza via Reuters

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel on Wednesday to seize the opportunity to end the war in Gaza sparked by the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the destruction of the group’s capabilities for more than a year. conflict.

Blinken said that Israel has succeeded in ensuring that there will be no repeat of the October 7, 2023 attack that began its campaign in Gaza and that it should look to return home the 101 Israeli and foreign hostages and end the fighting.

“Now is the time to turn those successes into lasting successes,” he told reporters as he prepared to head to Riyadh for the next leg of his Middle East tour.

“The focus must be on returning the hostages to their homes, ending this war and having a clear plan for what follows,” he said.

The Israeli campaign has devastated Gaza and forced most of the population from their homes into temporary shelters. Blinken said Israel needs to do more to ensure that adequate aid supplies reach people living in dire conditions.

The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not make any clear statement on Gaza following the war except that the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas must be completely disbanded.

There has been widespread concern among Palestinians that Israel intends to force Palestinians from large areas of the Gaza Strip so that Israel can control the area and allow Jewish settlers to return after their 2005 withdrawal.

Blinken also said the United States rejects any Israeli attack on Gaza and said he had been assured by Netanyahu that Israel has no such plans, despite pressure from many in his party to allow the settlers to return.

“It has been American policy, it will remain American policy, and also, in my understanding, the policy of the Israeli government, which I heard from the prime minister, who is the authoritative voice in these things,” he said. .