Politics

US calls for immediate cease-fire in Gaza tied to hostage release


Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview this week that the U.S. put forward the resolution at the United Nations Security Council.

 

“We hope very much that countries will support that,” Blinken said, saying it would send a “strong message.”

 

The U.S. has previously vetoed other resolutions that called for a ceasefire in Gaza without conditions.

 

Blinken said the U.S. is also hopeful for a new hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

 

“It’s getting closer,” Blinken said, “I think the gaps are narrowing, and I think an agreement is very much possible.”

 

The U.S. supports Israel in the war to defeat Hamas, but is also trying to get the country to minimize civilian casualties, an effort that has struggled to achieve results with more than 31,000 Palestinians dead.

 

President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week and said he would not support a major ground operation in Rafah, the next target for Israel where more than a million Palestinians are sheltered.

 

Netanyahu said he will proceed with military action in Rafah after approving plans from his military.

 

“There have been times when we have agreed with our friends, and there have been times when we have not agreed with them,” he said of U.S. resistance.

 

The news comes as the U.S. is trying to deliver more humanitarian aid into Gaza, where a potential famine is looming.

 

The U.S. merchant ship Bob Hope-class Roy P. Benavidez left Virginia for Gaza Thursday, joining another five Army ships in the Mediterranean Sea to build the pier.

 

The pier effort is expected to take weeks, and involve 1,000 U.S. troops.

 

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

 


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