US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to depart for the Middle East today, the State Department announced, as Washington pushes for renewed ceasefire negotiations to end the war in Gaza following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
This marks Blinken’s 11th trip to the region since the October 7 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel, which sparked the Gaza war.
The visit comes as Israel intensifies its military campaign in Gaza and Lebanon against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The State Department said Blinken will discuss with regional leaders the importance of ending the Gaza war, ways to develop a post-war plan for the Palestinian enclave, and how to achieve a diplomatic resolution to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
Blinken’s trip will begin in Israel, the State Department said, without specifying other destinations.
“Throughout the region, Secretary Blinken will discuss the importance of bringing the war in Gaza to an end, securing the release of all hostages, and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people”, the State Department stated.
It added that Blinken will continue discussions on post-conflict planning and “emphasise the need to chart a new path forward that allows Palestinians to rebuild their lives”.
US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for the November 5 presidential election, and many other Western leaders have expressed their desire to end the Gaza war following Israel’s killing of Sinwar last week, who was considered the mastermind of the October 7 attack.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already stated that the war will continue.
Analysts suggest he may prefer to wait until the end of Biden’s term in January and try his luck with the next president, either Harris or her Republican rival Donald Trump, with whom Netanyahu has close ties.
Blinken will also stress the need to channel more food, medicine and other humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, the State Department said.
Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza in recent days.
As fighting continues, health officials report shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies for patient care in the three remaining partially functioning hospitals in the area.
Since Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, about 1,200 people were killed and 253 others taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s subsequent war has devastated Gaza, killing at least 42,500 people, with another 10,000 believed dead under the rubble, according to Gaza health authorities.
99,246 people were wounded, around 3,000 people have died in Lebanon and Syria, and around 3 million people have been displaced from their homes as a result of the war.
Experts, governments, United Nations agencies, and non-governmental organisations have accused Israel of carrying out genocide against the Palestinian people.
(information from amna.gr)
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