Aman, 1 May, 2024(GNP): U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his hope on achieving a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that includes the release of abductees Hamas is holding in Gaza, and said the only reason that goal would not be achieved “is because of Hamas.”
“There is a proposal on the table, and as we’ve said, immediate, inexcusable, the time is now,” Blinken said as he met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv.
Blinken said the meeting would also include conversation of humanitarian aid for Gaza.
“At the same time, even as we’re working with persistent determination to get the cease-fire that brings the abductees home, we also have to be focused on people in Gaza who are suffering in this conflict of Hamas’ making.”
The top U.S. ambassador has repeatedly called on Hamas to accept the cease-fire proposal during a visit to the region that included earlier stops in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
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Blinken also talked with the demonstrators in Israel and met with families of the abductees and told them, “Bringing your loved ones home is at the heart of everything we’re trying to do.”
Hamas is believed to still be holding about 100 abductees, along with the remains of about 30 others.
Israel’s counterattack in Gaza has killed more than 34,500 people, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
Blinken met on Tuesday with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and King Abdullah II, before meeting with Sigrid Kaag, U.N. senior humanitarian and remodeling coordinator for Gaza.
Blinken thanked Abdullah for Jordan’s governance in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, including joint U.S.-Jordan airdrops that to date have delivered more than 1,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.
The two leaders discussed joint efforts to accelerate the flow of additional urgently needed aid to Gaza from Jordan through land routes.
Blinken also acclaimed the king’s commitment to economic modernization and vital public sector reforms.
