“This is a conflict that could easily metastasise, causing even more insecurity and even more suffering.”
Qatar, which maintains ties with Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US and the European Union, has played a central mediation role in the conflict. It’s helped broker the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
The Gulf state’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, called for a broad ceasefire to end the violence in Gaza, echoing many leaders across the Arab world. Israel and the US reject that, arguing it would allow Hamas to regroup and eventually launch more attacks like the one on October 7 that killed about 1,200 Israelis.
More than 22,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Large parts of the Mediterranean enclave of more than 2 million people have been reduced to rubble.
Blinken met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi earlier on Sunday, a day after stops in Turkey and Greece.
He landed in Doha Sunday afternoon and travelled on to the United Arab Emirates. He is scheduled to go to Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt next. It’s Blinken’s fourth extended visit to the region since war broke out.
Blinken was repeatedly asked by Western and Arab journalists about rising Palestinian casualties. He said Israel must do more to protect civilians and reiterated US calls for a lasting peace that included the creation of a Palestinian state.
“It is absolutely imperative that more be done, that Israel do more to protect civilians, and with others, to enable more humanitarian help to get where it’s needed,” Blinken said. “That will be one focus of my conversations when I get to Israel.”
Asked whether the US should consider conditioning its military aid to Israel to limit the violence – which President Joe Biden has called a “worthwhile thought” – Blinken replied that the US always monitors the use of weapons it provides to allies and partners.
Israeli strike kills 12, mostly children, in Gaza ‘safe zone’
Israeli strike kills 12, mostly children, in Gaza ‘safe zone’
“Any military help we provide to any country, including Israel, comes with requirements – including that weapons be used in accordance with international humanitarian law, the laws of war,” he said.
The rising regional tensions have helped push up oil prices this year, albeit slightly.
Qatar’s prime minister said military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen were not a viable solution.
“They will keep us in a loop that will never end, and will create real tension in the entire region,” he said.
The United States has worked, from day one, to open access routes into Gaza, to get help to people who need it
In a new flare-up, Al Jazeera reported that Israel killed at least seven Palestinians in a drone strike on the West Bank city of Jenin. An Israeli policewoman was killed there the same day and an Arab-Israeli citizen was shot dead, according to Al Jazeera. It was unclear if the incidents were connected.
In Jordan, Blinken toured a World Food Program warehouse with vast stockpiles of aid – including canned beans and hummus – ready to be transported into Gaza. He noted the supplies were ready to eat, since many Palestinians displaced within Gaza weren’t in a position to cook meals.
“The United States has worked, from day one, to open access routes into Gaza, to get help to people who need it,” Blinken said at the facility.
Israel defence minister lays out vision for next phase of Gaza war
Israel defence minister lays out vision for next phase of Gaza war
WFP Palestine acting country director Laura Turner told reporters that trucks en route to northern Gaza, where Israeli forces have partially withdrawn, were getting mobbed by desperate Palestinians before they can reach their destinations.
“The situation for men, women and children in Gaza remains dire,” Blinken said on Saturday in Crete, where he touched down briefly to meet Greece’s prime minister.
“Far too many Palestinians have been killed – especially children,” he continued. “Far too many remain incredibly challenged in terms of their access to food, to water, to medicine, to the essentials of life.”