US Blinken's West Bank Visit Amid Intense Clashes in Gaza
Antony Blinken, the top US diplomat, made an unexpected visit to the West Bank on Sunday, where he met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas.
In a report from Agence France Presse (AFP), Israel continued its military campaign to eliminate Hamas, a conflict that has already resulted in a significant loss of life. Blinken's visit to Ramallah, under strict security measures, came one day after he met with Arab foreign ministers in Jordan, who expressed their concern about the increasing civilian casualties in Gaza.
The Hamas-run health ministry reported that dozens of people were killed in an airstrike on a refugee camp in Gaza."
Washington has rejected appeals for a ceasefire and, instead, is supporting Israel's objective of defeating Hamas militants. Israeli officials claim that Hamas orchestrated the deadliest attack in the country's history on October 7, resulting in the deaths of over 1,400 people and the taking of 240 hostages.
The Hamas-run health ministry reports that Israel has conducted extensive bombardments of the besieged Gaza Strip in retaliation, resulting in the leveling of entire city blocks and the unfortunate loss of over 9,480 lives, with a majority being women and children.
During a Senate hearing last week, Blinken expressed the view that the Palestinian Authority should regain control over Gaza, despite its current limited authority in certain areas of the West Bank. This stance contrasts with the longstanding efforts of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to marginalize the Palestinian Authority.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has escalated tensions in the West Bank, resulting in the loss of over 150 Palestinian lives due to clashes with Israeli forces and settler attacks. These incidents include the unfortunate deaths of three young men at the hands of Israeli forces on a recent Sunday, as reported by the Palestinian health ministry.
On the same day, ground battles were underway in northern Gaza, where Israeli troops were observed intensifying their encirclement of Gaza City. This urban area still houses hundreds of thousands of civilians, and the conflict was marked by house-to-house battles with the involvement of tanks and armored bulldozers, as depicted in footage released by the military.
Since Israel deployed ground forces into the northern region of the narrow Palestinian territory in the final weeks of the previous month, the military announced that "ground, air, and naval forces" have targeted "more than 2,500 sites associated with acts of terror."
Hamas is reported to have captured more than 240 Israeli and foreign hostages, according to officials. Netanyahu has rejected truce proposals until all of these hostages are released.
During meetings with Arab foreign ministers in Jordan on Saturday, Blinken encountered a growing wave of anger. He reiterated the U.S. support for "humanitarian pauses" to provide assistance to civilians in dire need, despite Netanyahu's quick dismissal of the idea just the day before.
Subsequently, Blinken was en route to Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held Netanyahu personally accountable for the increasing civilian casualties in Gaza.
On Saturday, Turkey announced its decision to recall its ambassador from Israel and sever communication with Netanyahu.
Egypt's Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, whose nation has been the primary channel for foreigners to leave the Gaza Strip and for humanitarian aid to enter, urged an "immediate and all-encompassing ceasefire."
