Washington [US], March 22: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on March 21 that "gaps are closing" in the ceasefire and hostage release negotiations taking place in Qatar, where the leader of the Israeli intelligence agency is expected to meet with his counterparts. US and Egyptian levels on March 22. Mr. Blinken said that a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel is "achievable", according to AFP.
Mr. Blinken also emphasized that there is a "better way to deal with the threat posed by Hamas" than Israel's plan to conduct a major military operation in the city of Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians are taking refuge.
Mr. Blinken said that an Israeli ground attack on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, would be "unnecessary" and that "there is no place for civilians gathered in Rafah to escape danger."
"There is a false choice involved here.Hamas can be effectively dealt with without a major ground operation into Rafah," Secretary of State Blinken said at a joint press conference with his counterpart Ai Egyptian Sameh Shoukry in Cairo (Egypt) on March 21.
Mr. Shoukry repeated his call for "a ceasefire and the release of hostages and detainees" and urgently "increased aid activities in an unprecedented situation." He also emphasized: "Israel must not carry out any military operations in Rafah, to avoid more civilian victims and displacement."
The United Nations has repeatedly warned of impending famine for 2.4 million people in the Gaza Strip, where the more than five-month Hamas-Israel conflict has destroyed much of civilian infrastructure and left many Large populations had to be relocated.
Earlier on March 21, Mr. Blinken and Shoukry had a meeting with ministers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, as well as representatives of the Palestinian Authority.
In a joint statement, the Arab ministers called for "a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire" and "opening of all border crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip".
Secretary of State Blinken also confirmed that the US had circulated a draft United Nations resolution calling for an "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza, after months of vetoes by the Security Council opposing the phrase, according to AFP.
Mr. Blinken emphasized that any immediate ceasefire must be tied to the release of hostages captured by Hamas during the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
