US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas on Tuesday to embrace an “immediate ceasefire” with Israel, as the Palestinian militants met with Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Cairo.
“We have an opportunity for an immediate ceasefire that can bring hostages home, that can dramatically increase the amount of humanitarian assistance getting to Palestinians who so desperately need it, and can also set the conditions for an enduring resolution,” Blinken said as he met Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani in Washington, DC.
“It is on Hamas to make decisions about whether it is prepared to engage in that ceasefire,” he added.
Additionally, Blinken urged Israel to permit additional help to enter Gaza, the war-torn enclave where the US has started using humanitarian airdrops and where starvation warnings have escalated. He also urged Israel to guarantee that supplies may reach those in need and to open additional gates into the sieged area.
“Israel has to maximize every possible means, every possible method, of getting assistance to people who need it,” Blinken said. “We will continue to press that every single day because the situation as it stands is simply not acceptable”.
According to Egyptian state media, ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and mediators in Cairo encountered “difficulties,” but they are still going on.
Meanwhile, Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz is meeting with key US officials in Washington, despite the fact that an Israeli official stated that he is not representing the government due to disputes with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the trip.
