Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, under bombardment, expressed hope on Monday the 5th of February that the visit of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to the region would help to bring about a truce and prevent a new Israeli assault on Rafah. Antony Blinken is on his way to the Middle East for his first visit since Washington, through Israel, proposed the first extended ceasefire in the conflict, reports Reuters.
Last week, Qatari and Egyptian mediators sent the offer to Hamas, which is still awaiting a response, with the militants saying they wanted more assurances that the offer would end the four-month war in the Gaza Strip.
Despite two days of air strikes against Iran-friendly militant groups in the Middle East, the US is engaging diplomatically to prevent further escalation in the region.
Meanwhile, Israel continues its intense fighting offensive, contemplating a new ground offensive in Rafah, home to more than half of Gaza’s population, pushing towards the enclave’s southern border with Egypt, where everyone lives mostly in makeshift tents.
The ceasefire proposal, which is expected to last at least 40 days,
includes the release of the remaining hostages. The ceasefire also aims to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza by allowing aid to enter Gaza and allowing the 2.3 million inhabitants of the enclave to return to their homes abandoned due to the conflict. The proposed ceasefire is longer than the previous ceasefire, which lasted a week.
“We want the war to end, and we want to return home, that’s all we want for now,” said Yamen Hamad, a 35-year-old father of four, contacted by Reuters through a messaging app from a UN school in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah, where tens of thousands of displaced families are now living.
Hamad hopes that Blinken’s visit will send a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that hostilities must stop and that Palestinian militant groups will act in the interests of their people.
The Gaza authorities claim that more than 27 000 Palestinians have already been killed in the Israeli offensive, while thousands more may remain uncovered in the rubble. For its part, Israel claims to have killed 10 000 militants and lost 226 soldiers in fighting in the Gaza Strip after 1 200 people were killed in Hamas attacks on the 7th of October.
Also read: Biden feels pressure to respond to Iran after its attack on US troops killed three
Follow us on Facebook and X!