Blinken: ‘measurable progress’ in delivering aid to Gaza but ceasefire ‘most effective’ to address humanitarian suffering
Antony Blinken has told a meeting of regional leaders in Riyadh that the most effective way to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza is to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Speaking in Saudi Arabia, the US secretary of state said that there had been “measurable progress” in delivering aid to Gaza, which Israel has beseiged for six months, but more is needed.
International aid agency groups have repeatedly warned of imminent famine, especially in the north of Gaza, due to a failure to get in more aid while the territory undergoes near continuous aerial bombardment from Israeli forces. At least 20 Palestinians including five children were reported killed by airstrikes overnight in Rafah, where an estimated one million displaced people are sheltering. The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it does not accept the assessment there is famine in the territory.
Blinken said that Iran was the biggest source of instability in the region. He said that events of the last few months had shown in the “sharpest possible relief” that there were two possible paths ahead.
One, he said, was “riven with division, destruction and violence and permanent insecurity.”
He suggested, however, that meetings such as today showed that there were far more nations in the region interested in the second path, of “greater integration, greater security, greater peace”.
“Many more of us want to pursue that path,” Blinken said.
Blinken is scheduled to meet Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, speak at a World Economic Forum event in Riyadh, and also meet Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan and other regional representatives before an anticipated visit to Israel later in the week.
Key events
Local media is reporting that Israel’s air force has again launched airstrikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
More details soon …
Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the news wires from Gaza.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken has reiterated that the US would not support an Israeli ground offensive on Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip until it has seen a plan to prevent harm to civilians.
Speaking at a World Economic Forum meeting in Saudi Arabia, Blinken said:
We’ve said clearly, and for some time now on Rafah that, in the absence of a plan to ensure that civilians will not be harmed, we can’t support a major military operation in Rafah. And we have not yet seen a plan that gives us confidence that civilians can be effectively protected.
Asked about pro-Palestinian demonstrations which have swept US university campuses and led to scores of arrests and confrontations, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said he respected and understood the “profound emotions” people were feeling about the human suffering in Gaza, but also expressed frustration that the role of Hamas was seemingly being “earsed”.
He told the audience at the World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia:
I think what we’re seeing in my own country, and in the region, and many other places, reflects the deep emotions, the profound feelings, that many people have at the suffering that so many people are enduring, and in particular the innocent children, women, and men in Gaza.
It’s a profound thing. I not only understand it, I understand why people are speaking out and speaking up. And I think this is something that generation to generation, people find things to be galvanised by, and I understand it profoundly.
At the same time, I have to say that I would wish that other elements were reflected in what people are saying what they’re doing. I don’t hear anything said about Hamas.
I don’t hear anyone reflecting on the fact that obviously, the atrocity of 7 October never should have happened, but once it happened, everything could have been over in an instant if Hamas had stopped hiding behind civilians, put down its weapons, given back the hostages, and surrendered. None of the suffering that we’ve seen since would have happened.
So where is the demand on Hamas? There’s been silence. It’s almost as if it has been erased from the story. That’s something that I think we also need to reflect on. Even as I say, I profoundly understand the deep emotion that that people are expressing, whether it’s on our campuses or other places.
Antony Blinken has said that the implementation of a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel and the normalisation of relationships in the region with Israel would serve as the greatest rebuke to Iran and Hamas.
The US secretary of state said:
I think the single biggest most effective rebuke to both Iran and Hamas would be Israel having normal relations with every country in this region, and the realisation of a Palestinian state.
Of course, both Hamas and Iran have opposed a two-state solution. So almost by definition, achieving it would be a profound rebuke to everything that they’ve stood for – and destroyed for – over many years.
Blinken: Hamas is ‘the only thing’ standing in the way of a ceasefire in Gaza
Speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in Saudi Arabia, Antony Blinken has said the only thing standing in the way of a ceasefire in Gaza is Hamas, and they need to “decide quickly” on the deal in front of them.
The US secretary of state told the audience that the region faced “arguably the worst crisis in the Middle East since 1948”, and that the US was “trying to bring the conflict in Gaza to an end, trying to ensure that it doesn’t spread.”
He said:
Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel. And in this moment, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide and they have to decide quickly. And I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision. And we can have a fundamental change in the dynamic.
Blinken extended thanks to Qatar and Egypt for their work in attempting to broker a deal, saying “we are determined to do everything we can to bring an end to the terrible human suffering that we’re seeing every single day in Gaza among children, women, men, who’ve been caught in a terrible crossfire of Hamas’ making.”
At least 34,488 Palestinians have been killed and 77,643 were injured during Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, a statement by Gaza’s Hamas-led health ministry said on Monday.
Reuters reported the minister said 34 were killed and 68 injured in the last 24 hours.
It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.
Here are some slightly fuller quotes from France’s foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné speaking to Reuters earlier. He told the news agencies:
Things are moving forward but you always have to be careful in these discussions and negotiations. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and we need a ceasefire. We will discuss the hostages, humanitarian situation and the ceasefire. Things are progressing, but we must always remain prudent in these discussions and negotiations.
At the World Economic Forum (WEF) gathering in Saudi Arabia, US secretary of state Antony Blinken is about to appear in conversation with Børge Brende, the former foreign minister of Norway. We will bring you any key lines that emerge.
If you are interested in finding out more about the crisis in the Middle East and the Guardian’s reporting on it, we have an event this week which might help.
Guardian Newsroom: Crisis in the Middle East is a livestreamed event which will be chaired by Devika Bhat, the Guardian’s deputy head of international news, and will feature contributions from Peter Beaumont, the Guardian’s senior international reporter, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Guardian reporter, and Emma Graham-Harrison, senior international affairs correspondent.
The event takes place on Tuesday 30 April 2024, from 7pm-8:15pm BST. You can book tickets online, and find out more details here …
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has reported an incident near Yemen’s port city of Mokha.
More details soon …
